Gandhi’s Struggle against Caste and Untouchability in South Africa, 1893–1914

Abstract

It is generally assumed that, in his struggle against racial discrimination of Indians in South Africa, Gandhi did nothing for the uplift of ‘Untouchable’ 1 immigrants among Indians. It is also stated that neither did he aim to eradicate untouchability which Indian immigrants practised. This paper argues that Gandhi disapproved of untouchability since childhood but he openly and publicly began to criticize it first in South Africa. There he widely advocated on behalf of the “Untouchables” and for the uplift of their living conditions and status. Gandhi worked single-mindedly to give a radical shape to his own outlook on caste and untouchability in South Africa by transgressing caste rules. In the process, he became an ardent exponent for its eradication. The South African experience, rooted in discrimination, was a path-changer in Gandhi’s life.