Friday, November 8, 2013
2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Joukowsky Forum
"Arguments with Gandhi III: Was Gandhi an Environmentalist?," with historian Ram Guha.
Gandhi is known (and admired) as a critic of colonialism, as a theorist and practitioner of non-violence, as a religious pluralist, and as an advocate of gender and caste equality. Of late, attention is also being paid to his work as a writer and editor. And there were yet other aspects to his life and thought. Thus, this lecture will argue that in some crucial ways Gandhi anticipated the environmental crisis that humanity finds itself in today. I will construct a ‘Gandhian’ environmental philosophy from clues in his writings, and explore how his ideas have shaped and influenced environmental struggles in India and beyond.
Location: Joukowsky Forum, Watson Institute, 111 Thayer Street.