An American Looks at Gandhi: Essays in Satyagraha, Civil Rights and Peace

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In this far-reaching series of essays, author James Hunt examines the complex set of influences which helped shape Mohandas K. Gandhi leading to the transformation of an anglophile Indian lawyer into the Mahatma of historical myth.

James Hunt is able to expand the existing scholarship on Gandhi and to deepen our understanding of the formation of his intellectual and spiritual program. These essays take the reader on a tour of the "stimulating inter- actions" the encounters which brought a young Gandhi into dialogue with a remarkable selection of individuals and movements in South Africa and London.

Hunt not only traces the complex and often surprising development of key Gandhian concepts like ahimsa, he also helps clear away persistent misconceptions while pointing out numerous unresolved questions which pave the way for future historical inquiry.

Readers familiar with James Hunt's two other books on Gandhi, Gandhi and the Non-conformists and Gandhi in London, will recognize and welcome his measured, thoughtful approach. (Other Gandhi scholars share their warm appreciation for Professor Hunt's work in the preface.) Seen as a capstone to his life- long interest in the historical study of Gandhi, Professor Hunt's An American Looks at Gandhi is a remarkable achievement. Scholars will find careful analysis and historiography; those reading for general interest will find a rich and evocative intellectual portrait of one of the twentieth century's most influential yet widely misunderstood figures.

JAMES D. HUNT is an emeritus professor in humanities and philosophy from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A. Born in Massachusetts in 1931, he obtained degrees in sociology and theology at Tufts University and Boston University, and for several years was a minister in the Unitarian Universalist church. His doctoral degree in Humanities was granted by Syracuse University. He is the author of Gandhi in London and Gandhi and the Non- Conformists: Encounters in South Africa and various articles in history and ethics, and has been active in peace and civil rights groups using Gandhian methods, including the Congress for Radical Equality and Witness for Peace. Since undertaking research on Gandhi's life, he has studied for a year in London and has visited India, Israel, and South Africa. He is married, has four children and enjoys hiking and music.

James Dennis ("Jim") Hunt was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease about four years ago. His physical health is still good. Fortunately, he continues to be the same kind and positive person he has been throughout his life. However, his memory is severely impaired as are his abilities to talk and to write. His wife, Jane Hunt, and other family members, friends, and colleagues have assisted him to prepare this volume. Jim selected the articles that appear in it to present a comprehensive picture of his research and writing on Mohandas K. Gandhi and on the evolution of Gandhi's thought and leadership style.

Jim Hunt Biography

Jim's focus was on theology, and he graduated magna cum laude in 1952 with an AB in Sociology. Jim continued his theological studies at the Boston University School of Theology from which he obtained both a Bachelors of Theology (1955) and a Masters of Sacred Theology (1958).