Social and political movements

This is a listing of every resource tagged with 'Social and political movements'.



More specific:  nonviolence, nationalist movement, religious reform, nationalism, education reform, social reform, feminist movement, Partition, communalism
Gandhi Timeline
A scrollable, interactive timeline illustrated with photographs and descriptions of key events in the life of Mohandas K. Gandhi

"The Views of Sir Syed on the Caliphate"
Essay by Syed Ahmad Khan

"The Indian National Congress"
Speech delivered to Muslims in Meerut by Syed Ahmad Khan

"Speech at the Founding of the Anglo-Oriental College"
Speech by Syed Ahmad Khan

"Sir Syed and the Education Commission"
Education Commission Proceedings

"Review on Hunter's 'Indian Musalmans'"
Book review essay by Syed Ahmad Khan; an abridgement of a series of articles written by Khan that had originally appeared in the Indian newspaper Pioneer

"Asbab-e-baghawat-e-Hind" ("Causes of the Indian Revolt")
Essay by Syed Ahmad Khan

"Abstract of the Arguments Regarding the Burning of Widows Considered as Religious Rite"
Essay by Rammohun Roy

"A Second Conference Between an Advocate for and an Opponent of the Practice of Burning Widows Alive"
Essay by Rammohun Roy

"Translation of a Conference Between an Advocate for and an Opponent of the Practice of Burning Widows Alive"
Essay by Rammohun Roy

"The Brahmunical Magazine, or the Missionary and the Brahmun, Being a Vindication of the Hindoo Religion Against the Attacks of Christian Missionaries"
Essay by Rammohun Roy

"The Agitation Against Sati, 1987-88"
Essay on the contemporary debate over sati in India

Sati: Regulation XVII, A.D. 1829 of the Bengal code (4 December 1829)
Legal code issued by colonial government concerning the practice of sati

"The Relations of the Sexes"
Excerpt from A History of the Arya Samaj

"Autobiographical Sketch"
Brief autobiography of Rammohun Roy

Introduction to South Asian History and Culture: Course Syllabus
Syllabus, with integrated digital resources, for a Columbia University undergraduate anthropology course designed to introduce students to seminal writings in the emergence of modernity on the Indian subcontinent. The course surveys major figures who grappled with and helped shape social and political struggles during the British colonial period (roughly 1818-1947). It focuses on debates about religious reform, the role of women, nation formation, and caste stratification. Readings include autobiographies, speeches, dialogues, treatises, ethnography, and literary fiction; digital resources include primary texts, maps, timeline, illustrations, video.

The 1947 Partition of India
Interactive map showing national boundaries on the Indian subcontinent, pre- and post-August 15, 1947

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: Memories of the Mahatma, by G. V. Mavalankar

This BBC radio program features G. V. Mavalankar, who was Gandhi's lawyer and was Speaker in the Indian Lower House; he died in 1956. He relates his memories of his first meeting with Gandhi in Ahmedabad in 1916, when he felt that Gandhi's apparent obsession with everyday tasks was wrong, that he was "full of idiosyncrasies" and impolite to visitors. He recalls meeting Gandhi at the Gujarat Club in company with Sardar Patel (who would later become deputy prime minister of the newly independent India). Patel prevented Mavalankar from greeting Gandhi immediately, as he felt that the Mahatma did not like ceremony. Mavalankar analyzes how Gandhi persuaded people to follow nonviolent methods, and tells an anecdote about the 1931 census that illustrates Gandhi's relations with Patel.


Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: Memories of the Mahatma, by Dr. B. C. Roy

In this BBC radio program, Francis Watson interviews B. C. Roy, who was one of Gandhi's doctors, and attended him constantly in his later years. In 1956 Roy became prime minister of West Bengal. Roy describes his first meeting with Gandhi in 1925 in Calcutta, and why Gandhi was a difficult patient; his treatment of Gandhi during his fasts, including the fast in Aga Kahn's palace when Gandhi's condition was very critical; Gandhi's frugal diet in 1931,and his ability to gain weight or sleep at will; and how once, in 1944, he managed to persuade Gandhi to take medicine. Roy explains why he feels that Gandhi was not a religious man; Gandhi's main belief was that individuals should develop, based on khadi (nonviolence), along with society. He relates anecdotes about Muslim maltreatment of women in the 1946 Noakhali riots; the strength Gandhi imbued into followers of the civil disobedience movement; and Gandhi's willingness to try other methods if his own did not achieve his aims.


Talking of Gandhiji: The Last Phase. The fourth and last of a series of programmes on the life of Mahatma Gandhi.

This BBC radio program begins with a description of Gandhi's sober reaction to the Transfer of Power; he did not approve of Partition and was grieved by the violence between Hindus and Muslims. Ian Stephens gives an impression of his vitality in an interview. Impression of his new home and work in Noakhali (Bengal) and campaign of nonviolence there. Lord Mountbatten recalls his first meeting with Gandhi and the reconciliation he effected between Gandhi and Jinnah. Suhrawardy recollects his stay with Gandhi in Calcutta and his miraculous bringing of temporary peace to the city. But Gandhi was not satisfied and began another fast, which succeeded in quelling subsequent rioting; and then he came to Delhi. Tribute to the work of Indira Gandhi. Nehru pays tribute to "this weak little bundle of bones" and gives a picture of the comfort which the latter's daily prayer meetings brought to troubled Delhi. Description of his last fast to ensure that the new peace was made in the right spirit, and the love with which people regarded him. The program ends with a brief description of Gandhi's assassination.


Talking of Gandhiji: The Conquest of India. The second of four programmes of memories of men and women who knew him.

The speakers who contribute to this BBC radio program discuss the growth of Gandhi from the "respected crank" of 1915 to the world figure he was at the time of his death. Especial points in his career are described: the 1922 trial, the fasts of 1924 and 1932, and the 1930 Salt March. Speakers' assessments of his work vary, but most emphasized among his campaigns are those for the Untouchables and for India's independence without losing the friendship of the British. The program includes a tribute from Lord Halifax, who as Lord Irwin and Viceroy of India made the Irwin-Gandhi Pact with Gandhi.


Talking of Gandhiji: A Portrait. The first of four programmes of memories of men and women who knew him.

This BBC radio program begins with a short extract from a speech by Gandhi. The speakers provide details of Gandhi's character and appearance—"an extraordinarily plain-looking man"—and opinions on his political powers and integrity. Opinions on whether he was a saint, politician, both, or merely "a self-made man" are all expressed here. The program ends with an extract from Gandhi's "Spiritual Message to the World."


Islam in the Modern World: Examination of the Role and Significance of Islam in Modern Society. 6 (of 8). India.

This BBC radio program discusses the relationship between Indian Hindus and Muslims; the 1947 partition and the creation of Pakistan (including personal memories); and current trends and political influences on Islam in India.


Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: Memories of the Mahatma, by G. V. Mavalankar

This BBC radio program features G. V. Mavalankar, who was Gandhi's lawyer and was Speaker in the Indian Lower House; he died in 1956. He relates his memories of his first meeting with Gandhi in Ahmedabad in 1916, when he felt that Gandhi's apparent obsession with everyday tasks was wrong, that he was "full of idiosyncrasies" and impolite to visitors. He recalls meeting Gandhi at the Gujarat Club in company with Sardar Patel (who would later become deputy prime minister of the newly independent India). Patel prevented Mavalankar from greeting Gandhi immediately, as he felt that the Mahatma did not like ceremony. Mavalankar analyzes how Gandhi persuaded people to follow nonviolent methods, and tells an anecdote about the 1931 census that illustrates Gandhi's relations with Patel.