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Gandhi, Civil Society and Social Capital
- James L. Fredericks, Ph.D.
Recent research on Muslim-Hindu violence in India provides an opportunity for revisiting Gandhi's program for the moral renewal of Indian society. From his return to India in the 1920s until his assassination in 1948, Gandhi not only worked with the Congress Party to organize opposition to British colonial rule. He also organized numerous social organizations with the aim of building up inter-communal civil society. His purpose in this regard was not so much India's independence but rather the spiritual transformation of Indian society. All this provides a basis for recognizing civic associations that intentionally cross religious boundaries as a form of "social capital." The effort to establish such organizations should be recognized as a civic virtue for religious leaders. I believe this is the case in India, but also in many other multi-religious societies today. In the first part of this essay, I will review recent research on inter-communal violence in selected Indian cities that points to the importance of civil society in preventing riots. Following this, I want to discuss the relationship between civil society and what has come to be known as social capital. In the third section, I will reflect on Gandhi's work in raising social capital by developing inter-religious civil society as an example of the "virtue of solidarity."
Part One: Inter-Communal Violence in India
There has been a good deal of social-science research on violence between religious communities. In twentieth century India, the cause of such conflicts has to do with competing visions of national identity. The official ideology, represented by Gandhi, Nehru and the Congress Party, has been the secular nationalism enshrined in the Indian constitution. What Mark Juergensmeyer has called "religious nationalism" offers a competing vision. Religious nationalisms seek to make a particular religious or cultural worldview align with national boundaries and serve as the basis for social order. A version of religious nationalism can be seen in Jinna's vision of a Muslim state, separate from India, in West Punjab. Hindu religious nationalism has been associated with the term Hindutva ("Hindu-ness"), although the use of the term is quite varied. The goal of Hindu nationalists is not to up-root heresy or overcome differences between castes, language-groups and sects. Like Jinna's hope for a Muslim society in the Punjab, Hindu nationalists seek to build the Great India: (Mahabharat) based on "Hinduism" (itself a problematic word). V.D. Savakar argues that Hindutva is not a religious term at all. In his view, Parsis and Jews, because of their assimilation into Indian culture, share in Hindutva. Christians and Muslims, however, remain outside this culture. Muslims could be assimilated if they accept Hindu tradition as central to Indian identity, look on Ram as a cultural hero, and atone for the excesses of the Mughals. As a result of these demands, Hindu nation
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| SR No. | 007005 |
| Book Title | World of Philosophy |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave |
| Publisher | Shanti Prakashan |
| Publication Year | 2011 |
| Total Pages | 1002 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 30 MB |