Forgiveness and Conflict Resolution by John Moolakkattu

The ultimate purpose of forgiveness is restoration of relationships and the reestablishment of connections with the community. Public apologies and seeking and granting of forgiveness create a new dimension to repairing fractured relationships. In places like Gujarat where the communal passions have been raised for political advantage, and past violence of genocide proportions have ruptured communal relations, it is only through a process of collective contrition that reconciliation will be possible. It would be appropriate for a person like Narendra Modi, who is now on a politically strong position, to apologise for the state-directed violence that took place in 2002. More recently, there was widespread condemnation of the Sri Lankan Government on the excesses committed by it on the civilian Tamil population in its final battle against the Tigers, one that legitimately demanded an apology. Apologies when carried out at the appropriate time are useful. The sincerity of such apologies also should be felt by the victims. Forgiveness remains the only hope in situations where traditional conflict resolution ideas mainly built on rational choice assumptions are insufficient guides to reconciliation. We need to stir the conscience of the people through reviving their stories and go through a process of social healing. Please find the PDF version of the paper here.

Gandhi as a Human Ecologist by John S. Moolakkattu

This paper looks at the claim that Gandhi is a human ecologist. After briefly stating the main elements of human ecology, the paper delineates the major influences, both Eastern and Western, on Gandhi’s environmental thought. The paper argues that Gandhi’s ideas on the environment emerged from his vision of an alternative economy and polity that he envisaged for the country. It also examines the influence Gandhi had on the various environmental movements in India and thinkers like Arne Naess and discusses the main elements of Gandhian ecological vision. See the full paper here

Some Problems in Measuring the Decentralisation of Political Power

John Moolakkattu argues that though a number of efforts have been made to measure the decentralisation of political power in different parts of the world, some aspects of decentralisation are easily amenable to quantitative measurement while several others are recalcitrant to such efforts. Since each decentralisation scheme evolves contextually, measurements across contexts is particularly difficult. The indicators of decentralisation identified are generally not of equal importance. If weighting is done according to the relative importance of certain indicators, this has to be based on some kind of judgemental criteria. One author may not agree with another on this, leading to differential rankings. Added to it is that each disciplinary stream tends to focus on spheres that are important to that discipline. The paper seeks to identify some problem-areas in measuring decentralisation. It also concludes that any measurement exercise will have certain strong points, and even if a consensus cannot be reached, such attempts will contribute to the enrichment of the conceptualisation of decentralisation and therefore have a heuristic value. See the full version of the paper here.

Gandhian Non-Violence and Communal Violence by John S Moolakkattu

Gandhi was certainly an ardent believer in creating a secular India, but
not by denying religiosity or by employing strategies of acculturation so
as to create a melting pot. His is a classic example of how one can be
deeply spiritual and at the same time be highly tolerant of other religions;
how one can maintain unity even while preserving diversity. These
ideas came from his relational world view, one in which his notion of
the self necessarily embraced others so as to form an extended notion
of self. He did not think that there should be anything like conversion.
Gandhi believed that greater contact with members of other religions
and greater familiarity with the scriptures of other religions would enable
one to develop an inclusive mentality. His understanding of the Bible
itself is a case in point, although his understanding of the Koran was
limited. Please follow the link to read the full paper.

Remorse and Forgiveness: A Contemporary Political Discussion by MS John

The theme of ‘forgiveness in politics’ has come to occupy considerable attention in recent times. Yet politics is seen as one of the most difficult spheres for ideas relating to forgiveness to flourish. Dubbed as a private virtue with religious moorings, it has nonetheless proven to be useful in countries recovering from conflict, particularly when the oppressors and the victims share the same territory and a common destiny. This paper seeks to make a case for forgiveness and apology in public affairs drawing on the contributions of the main exponents of forgiveness in the contemporary world, even as it identifies some of the moral and practical difficulties of its operationalisation. Please click here to find the full paper.