Gandhis Critique of the West free essay sample

Analyzes Indian leaders rejection of Western industrialization imperialism in relation to Indias needs. Mohandas K. Gandhis 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 Indias 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