Beyond Nationalism: The Significance of Rabindranath Tagore's Concept of Nationalism in the Colonial Era and the Postcolonial Era

Swapnajeet Das

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2023.v05i05.7264

Beyond Nationalism: The Significance of Rabindranath Tagore's Concept of Nationalism in the Colonial Era and the Postcolonial Era

Author(s)	Swapnajeet Das
Country	India
Abstract	Rabindranath Tagore, the multifaceted Indian poet, philosopher and artist, critically investigated the origin and evolution of [Western] nationalism and surmised the dangers of its adoption in the Indian anti-colonial struggle. Thus, he developed a unique perspective on nationalism that challenged the prevalent nationalist ideas of the prominent political thinkers and provided with a nuanced understanding of the intricacies of India’s struggle for Independence and the subsequent nation-building processes. His concept of nationalism immediately became a matter of great controversy and many people even started regarding him as ‘anti-nationalist.’ This paper aims to investigate and tackle the controversy regarding the relevance of Tagore’s nationalism both in the colonial period and the post-colonial period. It will try to emphasize how his concept of nationalism contrasts with that of Mahatma Gandhi regarding its role as an anticolonial force, and also with that of Benedict Anderson regarding its importance in shaping national and cultural identities, and international relations in the post-colonial era. By focusing on his essay on ‘Nationalism’ and his three renowned political novels, such as, Gora, The Home and the World, and Four Chapters, the paper intends to analyze the value of Tagore’s ideas in the context of the anti-colonial struggles and their validity in the context of the contemporary socio-political and cultural movements, and give an insight of his philosophical conception on the discourse of nationalism.
Keywords	Nationalism, Colonialism, Anti-colonial Struggle, International Relations, Politics
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 5, Issue 5, September-October 2023
Published On	2023-10-08
Cite This	Beyond Nationalism: The Significance of Rabindranath Tagore's Concept of Nationalism in the Colonial Era and the Postcolonial Era - Swapnajeet Das - IJFMR Volume 5, Issue 5, September-October 2023. DOI 10.36948/ijfmr.2023.v05i05.7264
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2023.v05i05.7264
Short DOI	https://doi.org/gst3r2

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Beyond Nationalism: The Significance of Rabindranath Tagore's Concept of Nationalism in the Colonial Era and the Postcolonial Era

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