PDF «Covenant Keeper»: Derrick Bell’s Enduring Education Legacy (Social Justice Across Contexts in Education) by From Peter Lang Inc.; International Academic Publishers in History

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Discusses Gandhi’s creative use of ascetic practice; particularly his practice of celibacy; for nonviolent activism.More than six decades after his death; Mohandas Gandhi continues to inspire those who seek political and social liberation through nonviolent means. Uniquely; Gandhi placed celibacy and other renunciatory disciplines at the center of his nonviolent political strategy; conducting original experiments with their possibilities to gain practical; moral; and even miraculous powers for social change. Gandhi’s abstinence in marriage; eccentric views on sexuality; and odd ways of including his female associates in his practices continue to cause ambivalence among scholars and students. Through a comprehensive study of Gandhi’s own words; select Indian religious texts and myths that he used; and the historical and cultural context of his activism; Veena R. Howard shows how Gandhi’s ascetic disciplines helped him mobilize millions. She explores Gandhi’s creative use of renunciation in challenging established paradigms of confrontational politics; passive asceticism; and oppressive social customs. Howard’s book sheds new light on the creative possibilities Gandhi discovered in combining personal renunciation; sacrifice; ritual; and myth for modern day social action.“Based on a detailed and close reading of Gandhi’s works; and considerable familiarity with Indian traditions; this book offers an informative and interesting account of the inner connections between his asceticism and nonviolent politics.” — Bhikhu Parekh; University of Westminster and the House of Lords“Well grounded in the contemporary scholarship on Gandhi; Veena Howard wisely takes her primary clues from Gandhi’s own claims about himself; read in accord with concepts central to Indian tradition. She brings out the substance and wisdom of his positions; without avoiding challenging questions about those ideals and practices.” — Francis X. Clooney; SJ; author of Comparative Theology: Deep Learning Across Religious Borders