Pulitzer Prize General Non Fiction Winner
Gandhi's Truth
by Erik H. Erikson
Summary
A psychoanalytic biography that focuses on Mahatma Gandhi's 1918 Ahmedabad mill strike to illuminate the personal experiences and inner conflicts behind his philosophy of nonviolent resistance. Erikson interviewed surviving participants and read deeply in Gandhi's writings to connect childhood, marriage, and spiritual struggle to the development of satyagraha. The book is a landmark in psychohistory, applying clinical insight to a major political life.
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Historical Context & Significance
Erikson invented the term "identity crisis." In this book, he applied psychoanalysis to history (psychohistory) to understand how Gandhi's personal life shaped his political power.