logo
episode-header-image
May 2020
44m 34s

Gandhi on self-rule

TALKING POLITICS
About this episode

Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj (1909) was a defining text of the movement for Indian independence from British colonial rule. It also articulated a radical new idea of politics in a modern context – peaceful protest or non-violent resistance. David explores the wider legacy of Gandhi’s ideas and asks what Gandhi’s withering attack on ‘machine’ politics means for the politics we have today.


Free online version of the text:

Recommended version to purchase: 

Going Deeper:



See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Up next
May 2021
History of Ideas Q and A
A special episode in which David answers some of the audience's questions about the second series of History of Ideas. From how he chooses which writers and works to talk about, to whether Boris Johnson is the ultimate Benthamite and whether the idea of a pleasure machine isn't - ... Show More
39m 48s
Apr 2021
Shklar on Hypocrisy
Judith Shklar’s Ordinary Vices (1984) made the case that the worst of all the vices is cruelty. But that meant we needed to be more tolerant of some other common human failings, including snobbery, betrayal and hypocrisy. David explores what she had to say about some of the other ... Show More
46m 11s
Apr 2021
Nozick on Utopia
Robert Nozick’s Anarchy, State and Utopia (1974) was designed as a rebuttal to Rawls but it was so much more than that. It offered a defence of the minimal state that appealed to the writers of The Sopranos and a vision of utopia that appealed to the founders of Silicon Valley. D ... Show More
45m 58s
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
Mahatma Gandhi
Raised in India, and trained in London as a lawyer, Mahatma Gandhi went on to lead a life that was anything but ordinary. He campaigned against unjust laws in South Africa, led the movement against British rule in India, and changed the entire nature of protest. His commitment to ... Show More
1h 3m
Jul 2022
Kasturba Gandhi
Mohandas Gandhi helped India win independence from Britain through nonviolent resistance but little know that he credits the inspiration for his tactics to his wife, Kasturba. So, who was the wife of this renowned saint?Starring Dipika Guha as Kasturba Gandhi and Samrat Chakrabar ... Show More
50m 11s
Feb 2024
Perry Garfinkel: Experimenting with Becoming Gandhi
In a confessional reflection on writing his new book, Becoming Gandhi, acclaimed journalist and bestselling author Perry Garfinkel says, “It was so difficult I almost gave up twice. I thought, ‘I can’t write this book. It’s too big a subject. Who am I to try to become Gandhi?’” G ... Show More
1h 12m
Mar 2023
The Future of Nonviolence: A Conversation with Julie M. Norman
Ever since Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, non-violent resistance has held a special place in the public imagination. What can be better after all than forcing political change without the violence that so often accompanies it. But the Gandhi and King stories are so powerf ... Show More
41m 11s
Jun 2024
Meme to Maverick: The Rise of Brand Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi's comeback in India's blockbuster general elections defied every exit poll and expert prediction. Once the target of the ruling party and its IT cell’s jokes, Gandhi walked across the country..literally..twice..into many more hearts than people had given him credit f ... Show More
24m 12s
May 2024
Modi’s mission
Narendra Modi looks set to win a third term in office thanks to the popularity of his economic policies. But the Indian prime minister has a vision of a Hindu homeland that clashes with the country’s original secular values. Gideon talks to Ravi Agrawal, editor-in-chief of Foreig ... Show More
26m 10s
Dec 2023
India Is Transforming. But Into What?
India is known as a country of paradoxes, and a new one has recently emerged. At the same time that the country is poised to become a major global player — with a booming economy and a population that recently surpassed China’s — its democracy is showing signs of decay.Prime Mini ... Show More
1 h
Mar 2020
Ep. 44: All Our National Identities
Manali Kumar joins host Hamsini Hariharan to discuss the changing values in India's national identity since Independence.For questions or comments, reach out to the host @HamsiniH or on Instagram @statesofanarchy. Read More Indian Foreign Policy: The Politics of Postcolonial Iden ... Show More
1h 28m
Jun 2022
Ramachandra Guha on Gandhi’s Extraordinary Life and Legacy
Ryan talks to author Ramachandra Guha about his books Gandhi Before India and India After Gandhi, the journey that led Gandhi to become one of the worlds most influential leaders, how humanity was impacted by Gandhi’s legacy, and more.Ramachandra Guha—hailed by Time as “Indian de ... Show More
1h 10m