Satyagraha and South Africa

Part I: The Origins of the Relationship Between the Idea and the Place in Mahatma Gandhi’s Writings

Authors

  • Renata Czekalska Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland
  • Robert Kłosowicz Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.13.2016.40.04

Keywords:

Gandhi in South Africa, the idea of satyagraha, human rights, social equality

Abstract

The article presents the results of research carried out mainly on Mahatma Gandhi’s written statements which the authors refer to both a historical and socio‑political background. It is the first part of the planned two‑part study on mutual relations between Mahatma Gandhi’s satyagraha and South Africa, therefore it is focused on the interdependencies between the origin of the idea and the place where it was invented. The authors seek to answer two main questions: 1) whether Gandhi has entered into a dialogue with the native people of South Africa, and 2) whether Gandhi’s idea of non‑violent fighting for social rights included the native population of South Africa. The study also presents an outline of the evolution of Gandhi’s attitudes towards Africans and the Coloured People.

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Author Biographies

  • Renata Czekalska, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland

    Associate Professor at the Institute of the Middle and Far East, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. She specializes in South Asian culture, the modern history of South Asia, and intercultural communication. Her recent publications include a hermeneutic analysis of the main thematic structures in the poetry of Ashok Vajpeyi, and a monograph dedicated to the enriching phenomenon of mutual transfer of intrinsic values in symbolic cultures.

  • Robert Kłosowicz, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland

    Professor at the Institute of Political Science and International Relations, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. He is a historian who specializes in history of international relations, interdependencies between diplomacy and the use of armed forces, international security issues, and military conflicts. The problems of the US foreign policy as well as the international relations in Sub-Saharan Africa also remain in the spectrum of his research interests.

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Published

05-02-2016

How to Cite

“Satyagraha and South Africa: Part I: The Origins of the Relationship Between the Idea and the Place in Mahatma Gandhi’s Writings”. 2016. Politeja 13 (1 (40): 31-46. https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.13.2016.40.04.

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