Gandhi-King Lecture on International Relations and Peace Studies
Visions of Justice: Gandhi at 150
Gandhi on Truth and Minorities
Barry Gan, world-renowned scholar and lecturer on nonviolence, will deliver this year's Gandhi-King Lecture. Gandhi is often criticized for his position against Zionism, the belief that Jews should have a homeland. But his position with respect to Jews is not unique in his philosophy. He had the same views with respect to other minorities, Muslims and Dalits (untouchables) in particular. He held these views because of his views about human nature, truth and nonviolent action. At a time when so much discussion focuses on the rights of minorities, Gandhi’s views should be examined to understand whether they are cogent, relevant and useful today.
2019 marks 150 years since the birth of Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi. Known worldwide for his approach to resisting British colonialism with nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi’s philosophy has also had a profound influence on figures like Martin Luther King, Jr. It is important that, 150 years after his birth, we celebrate and contemplate Gandhi the teacher, the activist, the scholar and the humanitarian in a way that provides a rich, full perspective on his life, work and legacy.
Following his remarks, Gan will join Native American scholar and activist Deborah Miranda for We Who Believe in Justice: A Conversation with Deborah Miranda and Barry Gan at 8 p.m. in the same location.
About the Speaker
Barry Gan is professor of philosophy and director of the Center for Nonviolence at St. Bonaventure University. He is the author of "Violence and Nonviolence: An Introduction." He is also co-editor with Robert Holmes of a leading anthology on nonviolence, "Nonviolence in Theory and Practice," now in a third edition; and for 25 years he was editor of The Acorn: Journal of the Gandhi-King Society. For two years he served as program committee chair of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the oldest and largest interfaith peace group in the United States, and also served for three years as co-editor of Peace and Change, a quarterly journal of peace research. He has taught at St. Bonaventure University for the past 35 years since receiving his MA and PhD in philosophy from the University of Rochester. Prior to that he taught high school and junior high school English for six years. He is married to Miaoli Zhang, a former trainer in microscopic photography for Olympus of China. His daughter is a writer and previously worked as school programs coordinator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and his
About the Gandhi-King Lecture Series on International Relations and Peace Studies
This lecture series at WVU’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences celebrates the work and wisdom of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The annual lecture for the WVU and Morgantown communities discusses the ongoing significance of a peaceful, nonviolent approach to dealing with national and international problems, issues and conflicts. Whenever possible, the lecture will make connections between contemporary India and the United States. The donors' goal is for the WVU community to learn about and consider the continuing legacy of Gandhi and King.