Gandhian contributions to the development of the green movement have
been generally under-explored. This article seeks to re-examine key
Gandhian themes in order to indicate their potential contribution to some
contemporary debates. The emphasis on place-centred knowledge, tempered
by a ‘post-relativistic ethic’, is highlighted as a valuable resource for
interpreting contemporary ‘environmental’ activism. It is suggested that
such a framework can provide grounds for further explorations beyond
the limitations of the foundationalism-relativism debate. The Gandhian
emphasis on swaraj and swadeshi also open considerable potential to link
to wider debates on the nature of liberation, particularly in the context of
post-colonial theory.