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VOL. 5, ISSUE 3 (2023)
Non-violence and world peace: Gandhian perspective and the pacifist movements
Authors
Ruchi Shree
Abstract
Two world wars in the twentieth century
transformed the world significantly and also the very perception of ‘war’ and
‘peace’ as its alternative. While ‘pacifism’ as a concept stands for opposition
to war, violence and militarism, the ‘pacifist movements’ are about
popularizing such practices. Such movements pressurize the governments not to
opt for nuclear weapons, to cut down the expenditure on military and popularize
the idea of peace among the people. Gandhi as a votary of ‘peace’ and
‘non-violence’ remains an inspiration to the practitioners of pacifist
movements worldwide. To Gandhi, the practice of non-violence needs a proper
training of strong will, moral courage and patience. Its application may range
from the transformation of mind and inner conscience to not entering into a
war, be it a person or a country. From Martin Luther in America to Nelson
Mandela in South Africa and in recent times, Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar, Johan
Galtung in Norway and many more have applied the twin principles of Gandhian
perspective i.e. peace and non-violence in different contexts. The chapter
intends to explore these two concepts and their application as practice. It
will also underline the centrality of Gandhian perspective in the pacifist
movements to highlight the contemporary significance of Gandhi and his ideas.
While non-violence is usually understood as ‘absence of violence’, for Gandhi
it is much more than that and it contains the moral/spiritual values such as
love, peace and compassion. This chapter on non-violence and world peace
attempts to capture the essence of pacifism and pacifist movements in the light
of Gandhian perspective. It is divided into three sections – first section maps
the nature, meaning and scope of pacifism; second section traces the instances
of pacifist movements in the West and the last part underlines the convergences
and divergences of Gandhian perspective viz-a-viz pacifism as
well as some of the limitations of pacifism.
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Pages:39-44
How to cite this article:
Ruchi Shree "Non-violence and world peace: Gandhian perspective and the pacifist movements". International Journal of Social Science and Humanities, Vol 5, Issue 3, 2023, Pages 39-44
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