Mohandas Gandhi: Experiments in Civil Disobedience, Author Talk by Dr Talat Ahmed

Wednesday 04 August, 5:00 to 6:00pm
Online event

Mohandas Gandhi, icon of Indian liberation, remains an inspiration for anti-capitalists and peace activists globally. His campaigns for national liberation based on non-violence and mass civil disobedience were critical to defeating the power of the British Empire. But seventy years after his death, his legacy still remains contested: was he a saint, revolutionary, class conciliator or self-obsessed spiritual zealot? This biography unpicks the contradictions of Gandhi’s politics through an analysis of the social forces at play in the mass movement around him.

Can non-violent resistance win against state and corporate power? Dr Talat Ahmed explores Gandhi’s experiments in civil disobedience and assesses their relevance for struggles today.

Dr Talat Ahmed is Senior Lecturer in South Asian History at the University of Edinburgh. She is Co-Director of the Centre for South Asian Studies at the University of Edinburgh and a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society.

Independence – Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going, with
Bella Caledonia

Wednesday 11 August, 6:00 to 7:00pm
Online

Mike Small of Bella Caledonia chairs a panel of authors on the future of the independence movement.

She Settles In The Shields

Thursday 12 August, 6:00 to 7:00pm
Rum Shack, 657 Pollokshaws Rd (Venue 10)

2021 is the 10th anniversary of the ‘She Settles In The Shields’ book, which provides a unique opportunity to meet the women who travelled to Scotland from all over the world. Told in their own words, the women featured reveal a fascinating story of hope, isolation, warm welcomes, cold weather, racism and the quest for acceptance and integration. Join Syma Ahmed, Glasgow Women’s Library’s BME Women’s Project Development Officer, and others to find out more about the creation of this extraordinary book and the stories within its pages.

Buy the book

Friday 13 August, 6:00 to 7:00pm
Dixon Halls (Venue 12)

Did you know the beloved Baths building is one of the earliest examples of ferro-concrete architecture in the UK? That the building was used as a hospital (and perhaps a morgue) in WWII? Or that the occupation of the building in 2001 was the longest in British history? Intrigued? Join the launch of ‘99 Calder Street: A history of Govanhill Baths and Washhouse’, a fascinating new book exploring the story of the iconic building from its construction to the present day. The book’s author, Bruce Downie, will give you a sneak peek inside the book, and there will be copies on sale afterwards!

Govanhill International Festival- Book Festival 2021