Debating Swaraj studies Gandhiji’s notion of swaraj as a ‘living concept’, and extends it to various aspects of the political community. The book tries to understand political community by juxtaposing the state/government with the increasingly blurred distinction between peoples’ participation and decision-making on behalf of the people.
Studying Gandhi’s view of swaraj as a ‘living alternative’ for current times, Debating Swaraj offers a detailed interpretation in a manner that reclaims the centrality of the people in a nation-state. Gandhi believed that real swaraj is not majoritarianism; it is rule by the people for justice. Taking this as the point of departure, the authors, who hail from diverse fields in the social sciences and Gandhian Studies, construe swaraj as a shared responsibility for collective living.
The authors study swaraj in the context of: the early dissenting tradition of the Radical Enlightenment; the significance of non-violence; the primacy of civil society over sovereignty; the dichotomy between the economic agent and the political citizen; understanding technology, science and experience in the context of spinning swaraj; Nayi Talim and self-sufficiency; and the Ambedkar–Gandhi debate concerning texts and traditions.
Dhananjay Rai is the Head of Department and Associate Professor at the Department of Gandhian Thought and Peace Studies, School of Social Sciences, Central University of Gujarat, Vadodara.
Abbreviations Preface and Acknowledgements
Introduction Dhananjay Rai
1. A Genealogical Reading of Gandhi’s Critique of Modernity Akeel Bilgrami
2. Swaraj and Sovereignty Anuradha Veeravalli
3. Gandhi’s Swaraj: A Revisit Sudarshan Iyengar
4. Hind Swaraj: Metaphors of Political Community Dhananjay Rai 5. Gandhi, Economics and Welfare Prabhat Patnaik
6. Spinning the Swaraj: Technology, Science and Experience in the History of the Spinning Wheel Sadan Jha
7. Swaraj and Nai Talim: Notes on Self-sufficiency Deeptha Achar
8. Reading Texts and Traditions: The Ambedkar–Gandhi Debate Valerian Rodrigues
Notes on the Contributors Index