What is it about?

A century ago the poet and polymath Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) attempted to steer India away from the Western development path towards a culturally rich revival of the rural economy. Tagore warned of an impending 'Crisis in Civilisation' caused by the dehumanising machinery of government and commerce spreading from the West. Radical alternatives are urgently needed now, to address the social and ecological crises facing us today. This article show how Tagore's vision is compatible with the aims and approaches of the Transition Network, a transnational grassroots movement directed at relocalisation, resilience and cooperative self-help.

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Why is it important?

Tagore's global relevance has always been contested, and his reputation is ephemeral. He is a cherished cultural icon for Bengalis everywhere. He also has a lingering international following as an Eastern mystic for his devotional poetry in English, and his vast written oeuvre is an inexhaustible resource for scholarly attention. The comparison made here with the recent Transition Movement is intended to refocus attention on the relevance today of his ideas on social change.

Perspectives

I have known of Tagore's work on progressive education and rural reconstruction for 25 years. I saw resonances with the permaculture movement founded in the 1970s, which has been directed at designing local solutions to global problems. This movement struggled to progress from being niche and fringe until the Transition Movement emerged, providing a clearer parallel with what Tagore was trying to achieve.

Dr Christine E. Marsh

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Towards a Tagorean Utopia: From Rural Reconstruction to Transition Towns, Literature Compass, May 2015, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/lic3.12229.
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