About the Author

Joseph M. Murphyis the Paul J. (C'62) and Chandler M. Tagliabue Distinguished Professor in Interfaith Studies and Dialogue in the Department of Theology at Georgetown University.

Reviews

'A brilliant comparative study of the workings of the Spirit among practitioners of African-derived religions. . . . A 'must read' for students of African, Caribbean, Brazilian, and African American religions.' --Choice

In a study of interest primarily to academics, Dalton, a professor of political science at Manhattan's Barnard College, describes how Gandhi's work in South Africa and India helped him develop the subtle relationship between swaraj (freedom as self-rule or self-control) and satyagraha (nonviolent force born of truth and love). The author elucidates the criticisms of Gandhi by such contemporaries as Rabindranath Tagore and M. N. Roy, pointing out that neither man found a way to connect freedom and power as Gandhi did in his 24-day protest march in 1930 against the British tax on salt in India, and in his 1947 fast in response to communal violence in Calcutta. Dalton offers an intriguing chapter comparing Gandhi, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., and suggests that while King embodied Gandhi's tactics and Malcolm X traveled a similar journey of personal emancipation, neither managed to combine both swaraj and satyagraha . Dalton concludes by reflecting how Gandhi's example proves that political life can include ideals and truth. (Nov.)

'A brilliant comparative study of the workings of the Spirit among practitioners of African-derived religions. . . . A 'must read' for students of African, Caribbean, Brazilian, and African American religions.' --Choice