Gandhi's critique of colonialism

Mohandas K. Gandhi's critique of colonialism was a unique blend of reactionary and radical analysis. On the one hand Gandhi rejected Western notions of progress and favored a return to his utopian version of India's past. On the other hand, he rejected the kind of nationalist thinking which, while common in colonial countries, was itself dependent on the "representational structure" and the "theoretical framework" of Western Orientalism (Chatterjee 155). The common notion, shared by many Indian leaders, was that though colonialism was an evil it would, ultimately, lead to a greater good by bringing the nation into the modern world through industrialization and all the trappings of Western scientific progress. This was the true modern Indian reading of the conflict with the colonial power -- that India should take what it could get from the experience and build on it. These ideas were the direct result of accepting the Western 'Orientalizing' notion that the East needed to be like the West. Gandhi, however, would not accept the modern West as a possible alternative to traditional Indian ways since he believed that this 'progressive' impetus from the West had 'become cancerous by virtue of its disproportionate power and spread" (Nandy, p. 102).

What Western industrialization brought about was an increased dependence on consumption which, in turn, produced a need to increase the wants which had to be satisfied. If there is no social need for its products, then indust

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Category: History - G