mohan gandhi and global nonviolence

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Mahatma Gandhi

Center for Global Nonviolence

ANNUAL REPORT 2005–2006



Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence

Annual Report 2005–2006 Table of Contents

Message from Sushil Mittal, Director 1

Mission 5

Approach 5

Leadership 5

Accomplishments 6

Current Initiatives 11

Goals and Objectives 14

Appendix A: Advisory Board 16

Appendix B: Board of Trustees 21

Appendix C: JMU Faculty Fellows 22

Appendix D: About the Director 24

Contact Information 26



Message from Sushil Mittal, Director


I am pleased to present the first annual report of the MahatmaGandhi Center for Global Nonviolence at James MadisonUniversity. As director of the Center, it is with great satisfaction

that I bring to the attention of the wider public theaccomplishments of this unique organization. The past season,from March 2005 to February 2006, has been highly productive.

This report provides an accounting of the Center’s variedaccomplishments, as well as its current initiatives and immediatefuture objectives.

Uniqueness is both an ancient vice and a quintessentiallymodern virtue. The ancients knew that there is “nothing newunder the sun,” as a wise yet depressed sage observed in theHebrew Bible, and that anything claiming to be “new” wasunlikely to be worthwhile. Moderns reverse the traditional scale

of values and are ever seeking something that claims to be newand different. Mahatma Gandhi was both an heir to ancientvalues and the singularly influential “nonviolent revolutionary”

of the twentieth century who reworked inherited wisdom into aplan of action suited to an age of technologically fueled empiresand global access to communication.

The work of the Gandhi Center is based on distinctivelyGandhian insights, methods, and strategies. It addresses a setof problems that are uniquely urgent, and it represents auniquely promising potential to make a positive difference ona global scale. The Center is bringing together a network of

people and institutions that are willing to support investigationand implementation of nonviolent techniques for peace- building. The Center is enlisting a new category of donors, notpreviously identified by James Madison University, for itsprograms, and it is providing a platform for mutual cooperation



Annual Report 2005–2006 / 2

by several colleges, universities, and institutes in the regionand at a distance elsewhere in the world. The Center is anon-partisan and non-sectarian enterprise that welcomes bothsecular and faith-based participants in its programs, including

representatives from spiritual traditions and religiousinstitutions that include the several “peace churches” amongChristian denominations as well as secular non-governmentalorganizations. The Gandhi Center is a center of synergy in theservice of conflict resolution and peace-building for all membersof humanity and inhabitants of our planet.

Embodying the highest values of inquiry, learning, andcreativity, the Gandhi Center is an integral part of JamesMadison University. It enriches the University’s intellectual life by making its broad range of lectures and conferences, as well asresearch and learning opportunities, available to JMU students,

faculty, and the community at large. The Center shows promiseto serve as an intellectual convening force across JMU’s collegesand as a site for interdisciplinary collaboration. It also can be away to create goodwill and a distinctive image of the Universitylocally, in the region, and at a distance. The Center meritscontinued investment of University resources.

The future of the Gandhi Center, however, is in the handsof citizens of the world who care most deeply about peace.The Center relies on the generous support of individuals,corporations, and foundations to sustain the work that itdoes for peace. Tax-deductible donations allow its vision of

a peaceful world to grow for our children. In addition tofinancial contributions, the work of the Center can be supported by donating gif ts- in-kind, volunteering time and talents,introducing the Center to potential sources of support, andproviding pro bono technical assistance and professionalservices.

I wish to extend warm thanks to Dr. William Hawk, HeadPhilosophy and Religion, for his unwavering support of the




Center’s work, and to Dr. Gene Thursby, senior advisor at theCenter. Professor Thursby brings energy, commitment, and vastprofessional experience. I also would like to express mygratitude to Mrs. Tassie Pippert, Director of Development for

College and University Programs, and to the Faculty Fellows.Finally, my appreciation goes to Dr. David Jeffrey, Dean Collegeof Arts and Letters, Dr. Douglas Brown, Provost and VicePresident for Academic Affairs, and Dr. Daniel Wubah, SpecialAssistant to the President, for their contributions to the GandhiCenter, and to our generous Advisory Board and Board of

Trustees, without whom this Center truly could not have

existed.

We are looking forward with great anticipation to another yearof accomplishment and challenge at the Mahatma GandhiCenter for Global Nonviolence.




Mission

Established in March 2005 by Dr. Sushil Mittal, the mission of the Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence is topromote a culture of nonviolence and peace worldwide based onuniversal values of justice, equality, freedom, and a deeper

understanding of the importance of mutual respect among

human beings and of human appreciation for the naturalenvironment through education, international dialogues, andyouth-focused programs.

A culture of nonviolence and peace, as stated in the United

Nations definition, “is a set of values, attitudes, modes of behavior, and ways of life that reject violence and preventconflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems…amongindividuals, groups, and nations.”

The Center is named in honor of Mohandas KaramchandGandhi (Mahåtma, meaning “great soul,” was an honorific title).

Approach

The focus of the research, educational, and outreach programs

undertaken by the Mahatma Gandhi Center for GlobalNonviolence is interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and cross-civilizational. The Gandhi Center is inclusive in thought, word,and action.

Leadership

The Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence is led by




Director Sushil Mittal, Associate Professor in the College of Artsand Letters. The team working with Dr. Mittal to set theintellectual agenda of the Center includes the Advisory Board,Board of Trustees, Faculty Fellows, and Dr. Gene Thursby,

senior advisor to the Gandhi Center and professor at theUniversity of Florida in Gainesville.

Accomplishments

Over the past twelve months, the varied accomplishments of the

Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence include:

Advisory Board

To fulfill its mission, the first goal of the Gandhi Center was theformation of the Advisory Board, and that has been moving

forward very successfully. The Board is comprised of personswhose high positions, fame, reputation, works, or action canserve the mission of the Center and support its activities. Theyinclude Nobel Laureates, former heads of state, high civilservants, CEO’s of international corporations, academicians,scientists, artists, and social activists from five continents,

who pool their different experiences from a wide range of

backgrounds to promote a culture of nonviolence and peace. Wehave an active Advisory Board. The Board currently consists of forty-six people. There will be no limit to the potential size of theBoard. The director selects Board members based on theirinterest and experience. The current Advisory Board is included

as Appendix A.

Board of Trustees

The second goal of the Gandhi Center was the formation of theBoard of Trustees. The Board provides leadership and supportsthe Center in its fundraising efforts. The Board currently consists

of five people. At any given time, there will be no more than

twenty Trustees. The full Board will be in place by Spring 2007.The Board has met twice: on December 9, 2005 and February 24,




2006. The current Board of Trustees is included as Appendix B.

JMU Faculty Fellows

The third goal of the Gandhi Center was the formation of a

network of peace scholars on James Madison University campus. JMU Faculty Fellows are drawn from such diverse fields of study as Art History, Biology, Communication Studies, EarlyChildhood Education, History, Justice Studies, Philosophy,Political Science, Psychology, Religion, and Sociology. Thecurrent Faculty Fellows is included as Appendix C.

Global Nonviolence International ConferenceThe Gandhi Center hosted its inaugural biennial GlobalNonviolence International Conference on April 11, 2005. Thetheme of the conference was “Religion: Peace and Conflict.”The conference brought together seven distinguished scholars—

Dr. Mark Bredin of St. John’s College, Nottingham, UnitedKingdom, Dr. Nick Gier of University of Idaho, Dr. Shalom L.Goldman of Emory University, Dr. Ted Grimsrud of EasternMennonite University, Dr. Ayse Kadayifci of AmericanUniversity, Dr. Sallie B. King of James Madison University,and Dr. K. R. Sundararajan of St. Bonaventure University—to

explore the potentially positive role of religions in creating a

more humane world. The first session was a cross-culturalpresentation on the theme of nonviolence as a civic, as well as apersonal, virtue. The five sessions that followed were on Hindu,Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic perspectives on war andpeace. The final session was a second cross-cultural presentation

for which the topic was Gandhi’s Jesus as a practical andrevolutionary figure. This was a rare kind of meeting. First, thespeakers who considered Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian,or Islamic perspectives on war and peace spoke from (andabout) a tradition in which they themselves participate. Second,the speakers who represented their own tradition are at the

same time scholars who have been trained in the academic

study of religion as it has developed as a field of study inmodern universities. Dr. Sushil Mittal, Director Gandhi Center,




Dr. Douglas Brown, Provost, and Dr. William Hawk, HeadPhilosophy and Religion, gave the opening, welcoming, andclosing remarks, respectively. JMU faculty moderated thesessions. Admission to the conference was free and open to the

public. The conference attracted enormous crowds. Studentsand faculty from Bridgewater College, Eastern MennoniteUniversity, James Madison University, University of Virginia,and Washington and Lee University, as well as members of thelocal community, attended the conference. The conference had a“packed house and students and faculty sitting in the hallways.”

Local media covered the conference. Conference papers will be

published online at the Gandhi Center website. Support for theconference was provided in part by JMU’s Office of the Provostand Vice President for Academic Affairs, College of Arts andLetters, CAL Interdisciplinary Programs, College of Education,General Education Program, Office of International Programs,

and Dining Services.

International Exhibitions

The Gandhi Center hosted an internationally renowned exhibit,“Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace,” extollinghumanist virtues and its champions. The exhibit was on display

at the Carrier Library of James Madison University for just over

a month, from September 19 through October 21, 2005. ThoughGandhi, King, and Ikeda each came from different ethnic andreligious backgrounds, they have all shared a common vision.They have each, in their respective lifetimes, fought fornonviolence, human rights, and world peace. Gandhi, King, and

Ikeda are men who have lived with principle and who have based their action on nonviolent means. The unique idea of having the three figures together as an exhibit is of particularsignificance because it reminds us that peace and justice exist beyond all human-laid boundaries. The exhibit provided aholistic look at Gandhi’s, King’s, and Ikeda’s respective

nonviolence movements and their accomplishments and

contributions to world peace. The exhibit was free and open tothe public. The exhibit was co-sponsored by the Martin Luther




King, Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlantaand the Soka Gakkai International-USA. Support for hosting theexhibit was provided in part by JMU’s Center for MulticulturalStudent Services, General Education Program, and Office of

International Programs.

Lecture on the History and Philosophy of Hinduism

The annual Gandhi Lecture on the History and Philosophyof Hinduism brings distinguished scholars to the JamesMadison University campus for public talks. The first Gandhi

Lecture was delivered by Dr. Julius Lipner, Professor of

Hinduism and Comparative Study of Religion at the Universityof Cambridge, United Kingdom, on October 13, 2005. The lecturewas entitled “The Rise of Hinduism; or, How to Invent a WorldReligion With Only Moderate Success.” Dr. Daniel Wubah,Special Assistant to the President, introduced the speaker, and

Dr. William Hawk, Head Philosophy and Religion, served as themoderator. “The lecture drew a packed house. [The room] wasfilled to capacity with students sitting person to person downthe steps, across the front, and standing in the back.” The lectureis published online at the Gandhi Center website, and a revisedversion has been accepted for publication in the International

Journal of Hindu Studies. Support for the lecture was provided in

part by Infinity Foundation and JMU’s College of Arts andLetters Visiting Scholars Program.

Sponsorships

As part of the Human Rights Month at James Madison

University, the Gandhi Center co-sponsored a presentation byMr. Colman McCarthy. McCarthy is a veteran peace activist,animal advocate, and educator who founded and directs theCenter for Teaching Peace in Washington, D.C. The lecture washeld February 21, 2006.

Global Nonviolence Student Club

Established in Fall 2005, the purpose of the Global NonviolenceStudent Club is to promote a culture of nonviolence and peace.




The current president of the club is Alex Boyce, a junior at JamesMadison University. The first general meeting of the club washeld November 16, 2005. The club’s first activity is the planningof the Center’s inaugural Global Nonviolence Undergraduate

Conference.

Research Library

Established in Spring 2006, the Research Library at the GandhiCenter serves the needs of the center and its programs. It is alsoopen to researchers, students, and the interested public. It is

primarily a non-circulating library. The collection currently

contains approximately 400 books. The catalog is availableonline at the Gandhi Center website. The catalog was prepared by Erin Jaworski, a Research Assistant at the Gandhi Center anda senior at James Madison University.

International Cooperation

One means of implementing international cooperation by theGandhi Center has been the signing of bilateral agreements,known as Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), between theGandhi Center and institutes worldwide. These agreements willprovide for the exchange of fellows and students, as well as the

reciprocation of information by means of newsletters, databases,

and the Internet. These international cooperation agreementswill result in research programs and joint ventures. The Centerwill also organize conferences with the affiliated MoU institutes.The first MoU was signed in Spring 2006 with the ResearchCenter Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap (roughly translated as

Comparative Science of Cultures) at Ghent University, Belgium.The signing of MoU’s will be ongoing.

New Course Offering

“Gandhi, Nonviolence, and Global Transformation,” is anew General Education course offered throughout the year,

since Spring 2005, at James Madison University. The course

description reads: “Of all the world leaders in the twentiethcentury, Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) is certainly one of the




most influential. He is unique as a social theorist, a moral andspiritual philosopher, and a social-political activist. He serves asa bridge from post-modern to modern and pre-modern thoughtas well as between Western and non-Western traditions. His

experience transcended boundaries of culture, geography,religion, and politics. Even more, Gandhi’s leadership changedthe world. Indeed it continues to change the world. Hechallenged the dominant world structure of his time andstruggled with some of the most significant issues of our time:violence and terrorism, racism, the oppression of women, the

role of religion in the modern world, the nature of capitalism,

and conflict between ethnic and religious communities. Theexperience and ideas of Gandhi provide an excellent opportunityto reflect upon the issues that continue to face our modernworld.”

Website

The Gandhi Center website <www.jmu.edu/gandhicenter> wascreated in late Fall 2005.

Current Initiatives

The current initiatives of the Mahatma Gandhi Center for GlobalNonviolence include:

Mahatma Gandhi Global Nonviolence Award

The annual Mahatma Gandhi Global Nonviolence Award will be

bestowed upon an individual in recognition for outstandingwork and contribution to the promotion of human welfare andto social, economic, and political transformation throughnonviolence and other Gandhian methods. The award willconsist of a certificate and a bronze medal. The award winnerwill be announced on January 30, the anniversary of Gandhi’s

death, and the winner will receive the award on October 2, the

anniversary of Gandhi’s birth. The first award will be given in2007. An international Award Committee will be responsible for




the selection of the winner of the award.

Gandhi Center Press

Publication and dissemination of nonviolence and peace

research are essential parts of the Gandhi Center mission. TheGandhi Center Press will publish books on nonviolence andrelated areas. Its first title, The Gandhi Reader , is scheduled toappear in Fall 2006. The Press will also distribute books onnonviolence published by research institutions in the non-West.

Online Publications

In addition to its books, the Gandhi Center will publish a seriesof publicly available online publications: Research Articles,Working Papers, and Commentary Articles. “Research Articles”are articles that were published in other publications and arerepublished by the Center. “Working Papers” are research

articles that have been submitted to the Center but have not yet been published or peer reviewed. The Center will maintain thisindex of working papers in order to help disseminate, discuss,and improve important ideas. “Commentary Articles” arearticles that seek to provide a critical or alternative viewpoint ona key issue or provide an insight into an important development

that is receiving little wider international attention.

Tolstoy Lecture Series in Global Nonviolence

The Tolstoy Lecture Series in Global Nonviolence will bringdistinguished scholars and practitioners of nonviolence to the James Madison University campus for lectures, seminars, panel

discussions, and a variety of related interactions with faculty,students, and the community at large. The lecture series has beenestablished to celebrate the life and legacy of Leo Tolstoy. CountLev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828–1910) was a Russian novelist,social reformer, pacifist, Christian anarchist, vegetarian, andmoral thinker. As a moral philosopher, Tolstoy was notable for

his ideas on nonviolent resistance through his work The Kingdom

of God is Within You (1893), which in turn influenced MahatmaGandhi. The Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, a Thai




Buddhist nun in the Theravada tradition of Buddhism, willlaunch the Tolstoy Lecture Series with a lecture titled “TheBuddha Gave It to Us: The Female Ordination Issue inBuddhism.” The lecture will be held March 29, 2006.

Global Nonviolence Undergraduate Conference

The Gandhi Center will host its inaugural annual GlobalNonviolence Undergraduate Conference on April 12, 2006. Thetheme of the conference is “Dialogues on Nonviolence andPeace.” The conference is planned and directed entirely by

undergraduate students.

Internship Program

The Gandhi Center is developing unique and diverseopportunities for undergraduate students who are interested inthe Center’s work to promote a culture of nonviolence and

peace. The program will have special appeal for those who wishto combine academic study with practical application andexperience. Internships will be offered throughout the year.Interns will be required to commit a minimum of 10 hours perweek for at least 10 weeks. No more than 20 percent of time willinclude clerical work. If the intern’s department offers academic

credit for internships, the Center will work with the department

to match academic requirements with the requirements of theintern’s host program. The Gandhi Center Internship Program isslated to begin during the Fall 2006 semester.

Children’s Art Contest

Teachers will be invited to participate in a drawing and paintingcontest for children aged 4 to 7 years. The objective of thiscontest is to promote a culture of nonviolence and peace byraising awareness among young children about these concepts.Teachers participating in the contest will help children invent astory in pictures, in the form of a tale using animals, nature,

colors, and their own symbols. This story will be a collective

work based on key words young children can understand. It will be made up of six drawings, each illustrating one or several of




the following themes: Respect for All Life, Nonviolence, Sharing,Listening to Understand, Preserving the Planet, and Toleranceand Solidarity. The drawings, with short explanations, will forma story presented as a comic strip, a fresco, or a poster,

depending on the choice of the participants. The artworks will bescanned and put online at the Gandhi Center website. ACommittee will choose two winners per age group (4–5 years oldand 6–7 years old). The winners will receive a prize best suitedto their needs. The contest will be an annual event. The firstcontest will be held in Fall 2006. (This initiative is based on

UNESCO’s “Draw me Peace” contest held in 2002.)

Goals and Objectives

The long-term goal is to develop the Mahatma Gandhi Center

for Global Nonviolence into a world-class think tank, withsupport from James Madison University and from externalsources.

The goals for the current season are:

Objective One – Formation of the Boards

The first goal of the Gandhi Center has been the formation of theAdvisory Board and the Board of Trustees, and that has beenmoving forward very successfully. The formation of theAdvisory Board will be ongoing, whereas the Board of Trusteeswill be in place by Spring 2007.

Objective Two – Develop the Logo

The second goal is to develop the logo for the Gandhi Center.This objective will be completed by Fall 2006.

Objective Three – Complete Initial Program Development

The third goal of the Gandhi Center is to complete the initial

development of research, educational, and outreach programs.This objective will be completed by Fall 2006. The development




of additional programs will be ongoing.

Objective Four – Develop Materials for Fundraising

The fourth goal of the Gandhi Center is to develop the initial set

of printed materials for conducting a comprehensive fundraisingcampaign. This objective will be completed by Summer 2006.

Objective Five – Collect Potential Donor List

The fifth goal of the Gandhi Center is to collect lists of potentialdonors, including names of individuals, small businesses, large

corporations, community groups, and foundations, both private

and public. Enough names will be collected by Summer 2006 to begin a major gifts campaign and a grant-writing program. Theeffort will be ongoing.

Objective Six – Creation of the Development Program

The sixth goal of the Gandhi Center is to develop and conduct acomprehensive development program with the goal of securing$2,000,000. This is called “The Gift of Peace” campaign, andthe funds received will provide support for (1) scholarshipsand fellowships, conferences, lectures, and educational andoutreach programs [$500,000] and (2) an endowed professorship

associated with the directorship of the Gandhi Center

[$1,500,000]. The campaign will begin in Fall 2006. The goal of the campaign will be realized by Fall 2011.

Objective Seven – Promotion of the Center

The Gandhi Center will be actively promoted in the local

community by sharing its programs with schools, churches,community centers, libraries, bookstores, and public mediaoutlets. Program information will be presented to at least threecommunity organizations per month beginning Fall 2006.




Appendix A

Advisory Board

Baba AmteSocial Activist, India

Oscar Arias SánchezFormer President of Costa RicaNobel Peace Laureate

A. T. AriyaratnePresident, Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, Sri Lanka

Peter BergenFellow, New America Foundation, USA

Francis A. BoyleProfessor of International Law, University of Illinois, USA

Lawrence E. Carter Sr.Dean, Martin Luther King Jr. Int’l Chapel, Morehouse College, USA

John M. CoetzeeNovelist and Writer, Australia

Nobel Laureate in Literature

Paul J. CrutzenProfessor Emeritus, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, GermanyNobel Laureate in Chemistry

Richard R. ErnstProfessor Emeritus, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, SwitzerlandNobel Laureate in Chemistry




Richard A. Falk Professor Emeritus of International Law, Princeton University, USA

Harriet Mayor Fulbright

Chairman, Fulbright International Center, USA

Johan GaltungDirector, Transcend, NorwayRector, Transcend Peace University, Norway

Arun Gandhi

President, M. K. Gandhi Institute of Nonviolence, USA

Nadine GordimerNovelist and Writer, South AfricaNobel Laureate in Literature

H.R.H. Prince El Hassan bin Talal Jordan

Theodore M. HesburghPresident Emeritus, University of Notre Dame, USA

Faisal HoqueFounder, Chairman, and CEO, Enamics, Inc., USAFounder and Chair, BTM Institute, USA

Daisaku Ikeda

President, Soka Gakkai International, Japan

M. Farooq KathwariChairman, President, and CEO, Ethan Allen Interiors, Inc., USA

Ashok Khosla

President, Society for Development Alternatives, India




David KriegerPresident, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, USA

Ervin Laszlo

President, Club of Budapest, Hungary

Yuan-Tseh LeePresident, Academia Sinica, TaiwanNobel Laureate in Chemistry

Rita Levi-Montalcini

President, EBRI Foundation, ItalyNobel Laureate in Medicine

Robert Jay LiftonLecturer on Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, USA

Mairead Corrigan MaguireHonorary President, Peace People, Northern IrelandNobel Peace Laureate

Zubin Mehta

Music Director, Bavarian State Opera, Germany

Michael NobelChairman, Nobel Family Society, Sweden

Martha Nussbaum

Professor of Law and Ethics, University of Chicago, USA

Jan ObergDirector, Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research,

Sweden

Glenn D. Paige

Director, Center for Global Nonviolence, USA




Margarita PapandreouFormer First Lady, Greece

Neelakantha Radhakrishnan

Director, Ikeda Center for Value Creation, India

Vandana ShivaFounder, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology,

India

L. M. Singhvi

Member of Parliament, India

Sulak SivaraksaSocial Critic and Human Rights Activist, Thailand

Mário SoaresFormer President of PortugalFormer Prime Minister of Portugal

David T. SuzukiChair, David Suzuki Foundation, Canada

Ramesh ThakurVice Rector, United Nations University, Japan

Robert A. ThurmanProfessor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Columbia University, USA

Desmond TutuAnglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, South AfricaNobel Peace Laureate

Elie Wiesel

University Professor, Boston University, USA

Nobel Peace Laureate




Betty WilliamsPresident, World Centers of Compassion for Children, Northern IrelandNobel Peace Laureate

Muhammad YunusFounder and Managing Director, Grameen Bank, Bangladesh

Zachariah P. ZachariahPresident and CEO, Fort Lauderdale Heart Institute, USA

Howard Zinn

Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Boston University, USA

Biographies of the Advisory Board members appear online at theGandhi Center’s website.




Appendix B

Board of Trustees

Myron AugsburgerPresident Emeritus, Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg

Charles R. ChenaultCity Councilman, Harrisonburg

Keith MayBroker, Kline Commercial Realty, Harrisonburg

Bhavesh MehtaBusinessman, Harrisonburg

Ronald YoderPresident, Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, Harrisonburg




Appendix C

JMU Faculty Fellows

Kathleen G. ArthurProfessor, Art History

Glenn HastedtProfessor, Justice Studies

William Hawk Associate Professor, Philosophy

Steven KefferAssociate Professor, Biology

Katherine KesslerAssociate Director, Honors Program

Sallie B. KingProfessor, Religion

Ari KohenAssistant Professor, Justice Studies

Rozanne LeppingtonLecturer, Communication Studies

M. Louise LoeProfessor, History

Iain MacleanAssociate Professor, Religion

Doris MartinProfessor, Early Childhood Education




Dorothy Della NoceProfessor, Communication Studies

Sarah O’Connor

Assistant Professor, Writing

J. Peter PhamAssistant Professor, Justice Studies

Stephen Poulson

Assistant Professor, Sociology

Maureen G. ShanahanDirector, Honors Program

Anne Stewart

Professor, Psychology

Robin L. TeskeProfessor, Political Science

Scott Vollum

Assistant Professor, Justice Studies

James R. ZimmermanAssistant Professor, Writing




Appendix D

About the Director

Sushil Mittal is currently an Associate Professor of Hinduism at James Madison University.

He earned his B.A. from McGill University in Montreal, M.A.from Carleton University in Ottawa, and Ph.D. from Universityof Montreal. He has served on the faculties of the University of

Florida in Gainesville and Millikin University in Decatur,Illinois.

His teaching and research interests are in Hindu traditions, andhe is a fellow philosophical traveler with Gandhi. He hasconducted archival and field research in Canada, India, SouthAfrica, and the United States at intervals during the last decadeand a half. The recipient of numerous grants and fellowships, hispublications include Development and Change in India (1993),

Surprising Bedfellows: Hindus and Muslims in Medieval and Early Modern India (2003), The Hindu World (2004), and Religions of South Asia: An Introduction (2006). His current work-in-progress

includes A Handbook for the Study of Hinduism , Encyclopedia of Hindu Studies , Gandhi Studies: An Introduction , and The GandhiReader. He is the (founding) editor of the International Journal of

Hindu Studies (1997– ).

His work on Gandhian nonviolence has a much more vivid andvisible form. His commitment to finding a path to lasting peacefor his children led directly to the establishment of the GandhiStudies Program (the first outside of India) at Millikin University

and the Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence at James Madison University, pondering anew the great task theMahatma set before himself and before us all. “My mission,” heexplained, “is to convert…the world to nonviolence forregulating mutual relations, whether political, economic, social,




or religious.”

Dr. Mittal was born in Canada (his “janam-bh¨mi”) but has now

dedicated himself to working in the United States (his “karma- bh¨mi”), and he looks to India as the main source of his spiritualinspiration (his “dharma-bh¨mi”). He and his wife, Ritu, have

two children: Ankur, 7, and Aditi, 5, who, they hope, will live ina better organized and a less violent world.




James Madison U niversityMSC 7504

800 South Main StreetHarrisonburg, Virginia 22807USA

Telephone: 540-568-6394

Telefax: 540-568-8072

Email: [email protected]: http://www.jmu.edu/GandhiCenter

mohan gandhi and global nonviolence

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