Peter Gonsalves, Clothing for Liberation: A Communication Analysis of Gandhi’s Swadeshi Revolution, New Delhi: Sage Publications, 2010, ISBN 978-81-321-0310-3, pp. 164, 350 rupees
The author, Peter Gonsalves, is an accomplished scholar in the field of media and communication studies. He is a professor of Social Communication Sciences at the Pontifical Salesian University of Rome and even served as Head of Department. He started his career in media field while working for rural development at Bosco Gramin Vikas Kendra, Ahmednagar-Maharashtra. He was responsible for founding ‘Tej-prasarini’, a multimedia production center aimed at spreading awareness of the urgent need for pro-life education. He promoted a series of teacher training manuals under the title ‘Quality Education for Life’, the first of which was his own work: Media Education Exercises (1994). Throughout his career, he has served as president of INTERSIG, the international wing of SIGNIS, a global association of communicators for a culture of peace, and has coordinated the establishment of a web portal in five languages for the Salesian Society of the which one is apart
Based on his impressive resume and my knowledge of him, I set out to read this book with high expectations. The book is the final result of a study carried out in order to analyze the communicative impact that clothing had on the life and activity of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), who came to be recognized as the ‘Father of the Nation’ (India) for its decisive role in galvanizing the masses and organizing a systematic and effective, though non-violent, struggle for independence from oppressive British imperial rule. The author strives to use the communication theories established by Roland Barthes, Victor Turner, and Erving Goffman as a framework for a deeper analysis of communication that brings to light Gandhi’s unique clothing strategy for the liberation of India: the creation of a “fashion system” through the laborious deployment of the swadeshi ‘social drama’ while remaining the undisputed ‘performance manager’ of the thirty-year freedom struggle (cover flap).
The book is well designed with a foreword by Dr. Keval Kumar, whose groundbreaking article ‘Gandhi’s Ideological Clothing’ paved the way for further study and research on the communication impact of Gandhi’s clothing, to which this book is an answer; an ordered list of all the tables, figures, photographs, and abbreviations that appear in the book, an illuminating introduction, four substantial chapters that form the core of the book, and a fifth chapter that introduces “Gandhi’s approach to symbolization.” It basically doubles as a conclusion and springboard for further investigation. The author presents six constitutive principles of a Gandhian approach to symbolization, but chooses not to elaborate much because he feels that “a substantial amount of research and reflection is already available” (p. 127, footnote 1). The last pages of the book are devoted to a pictorial history of clothing in Gandhi’s life, a short but well-selected appendix highlighting the impact of Gandhi’s communication, a glossary of Indian terms, a fairly detailed bibliography, and an index.
The first chapter tries to offer a broad perspective of ‘Gandhi the communicator’. Thus, the various aspects of Gandhi’s communicative activity are briefly and lucidly presented. This includes Gandhi’s verbal, written and non-verbal communication throughout his life. Such an introduction helps provide a backdrop for the rest of the book and places the reader in the context of Gandhi’s communication. The details are supported by academic research; the copious notes at the end of each chapter testify to this fact.
The middle chapters, i.e. the second to fourth chapters, which form the crux of the book, are quite demanding to read and absorb, but offer an interesting insight into Gandhi’s philosophy and lifestyle. They also help to understand, in part, the reason for Gandhi’s widespread appeal and communicative effectiveness.
The second chapter is dedicated to analyzing Gandhi’s fashion system based on the ideas of Roland Barthes. Barthes (1915-1980) was a French cultural analyst, structuralist, and semiotician. His work Systemof fashion (The Fashion System) serves as a reference point for the ideas developed here. Barthes’s semiotic theory of Denotation, Connotation and Ideology sheds initial insights when applied to the Indian ethos. It helps to understand how something as mundane as clothing can become a symbol of oppression or liberation. The reader is led to understand the reasons for Gandhi’s clothing choices and the consequent impact he had on the fight for freedom and on the world.
The third chapter analyzes Turner’s concept of ‘Social Drama’ and its application to swadeshi Revolution started by Gandhi. Turner (1920-1983) developed the science of ‘comparative symbology’ which aimed to analyze symbols within time frames, both in relation to other symbols and in their impact on all the actors involved, while remaining immersed in practical experience. (p. 73). Turner breaks down the structure of ‘social drama’ into four phases: 1) Noncompliance 2) Crisis 3) Corrective Procedures and 4) Reintegration. Each of these phases is addressed separately and treated systematically in the context of Gandhi’s work. swadeshi movement. The aim here is to show the power of Gandhi’s chosen symbols and their role in his overall communication strategy.
The fourth chapter is as interesting as it is brilliant. It delves into Gandhi’s personal life and gives insight into Gandhi: the man. Although Gandhi is discussed throughout the book in relation to his sociopolitical activity, the foundations of his sociopolitical activity are laid out in this chapter. The person of Mahatma Gandhi becomes an object of study using Goffman’s ‘Dramaturgical Model’. The end result is a holistic understanding of the personality of Mahatma Gandhi and the effect of that personality on India’s struggle for freedom.
The author deserves praise for producing this wonderful and timely work. He has done a good job using communication theories to analyze and discover the value of Gandhian symbolic communication through clothing. As I mentioned earlier, the book offers a number of useful insights both in the field of communication and in rediscovering Gandhi’s influence. For a communication student like me, the book was a real treat. Not only did he provide me with lessons on communication and its application, but he also helped me better understand and appreciate Mahatma Gandhi’s role in the fight for freedom. The communicative dimension of the struggle for freedom is usually mentioned in passing, if not left out altogether, and thus this work comes as a refreshment in that regard. Regarding the content of the book, I found three typographical errors that fortunately do not cause much confusion. However, I also discovered two glaring errors in the references. Other than these minor flaws, the book is excellent. I highly recommend this book to all those interested in the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi, as well as those interested in media studies.