Postmodern Gandhi and Other Essays: Gandhi in the World and at Home

by Lloyd I. Rudolph, Susanne Hoeber Rudolph

Gandhi, with his loincloth and walking stick, seems an unlikely advocate of postmodernism. But in Postmodern Gandhi , Lloyd and Susanne Rudolph portray him as just that in eight thought-provoking essays that aim to correct the common association of Gandhi with traditionalism. Combining core sections of their influential book The Traditional Roots of Charisma with substantial new material, the Rudolphs reveal here that Gandhi was able to revitalize tradition while simultaneously breaking with some of its entrenched values and practices. Exploring his influence both in India and abroad, they tell the story of how in London the young activist was shaped by the antimodern “other West” of Ruskin, Tolstoy, and Thoreau and how, a generation later, a mature Gandhi’s thought and action challenged modernity’s hegemony. Moreover, the Rudolphs argue that Gandhi’s critique of modern civilization in his 1909 book Hind Swaraj was an opening salvo of the postmodern era and that his theory and practice of nonviolent collective action ( satyagraha ) articulate and exemplify a postmodern understanding of situational truth. This radical interpretation of Gandhi's life will appeal to anyone who wants to understand Gandhi’s relevance in this century, as well as students and scholars of politics, history, charismatic leadership, and postcolonialism.

269 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Former University of Chicago political science professor Lloyd Rudolph was an expert on India and South Asia who did much of his work in collaboration with his wife and fellow faculty member, Susanne.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a series of political essays that was recommended me by one of my professors from college (when I told her I was going to India). I think I enjoyed it for two reasons: 1) I am a political nerd and 2) being in India allowed me to compare my own observations to the hypotheses of the authors. The essays were interesting and well written.

[S.N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very balanced, well-researched, insightful.