Between Empire and Identity: Gandhi’s Legal and Political Activism in South Africa

Abstract

The paper discusses Mohandas K. Gandhi's legal and political activism in South Africa, where his
experiences there shaped his identity and the development of his philosophy of resistance. Gandhi
operated within the British Empire from 1893 to 1914, while at the same time protesting its racial and
legal injustices. In his early years, he started as a lawyer who promoted the interests of Indian merchants,
but over time, he was able to become a political leader who used organisations like the Natal Indian
Congress and the Indian Opinion newspaper to mobilise the Indians. Faced with discriminatory laws
and unspoken racism, Gandhi switched to non-violent protest, which was organised, and constitutional
petitions were substituted and eventually evolved to Satyagraha. This paper examines the triangularity
of empire, race, and identity in the South African experience of Gandhi, by stating that it was these
formative years that formed the basis of his ideological approach to his involvement in the anti-colonial
struggle in India.