The Ghadar Movement: A Living History

A North American based Internationalist movement for the liberation of India

Guest blogged by York Ghadaris

On the centenary of the Ghadar Movement, a conference is being held at York University, Toronto, Canada on April 12 to April 13, 2013, to honour and remember its history, and its contemporary relevance to the revolutionary struggle of people of the Indian subcontinent.

It has been 100 years since the Ghadar Movement was formed by emigrant Punjabis and other Indian nationals in San Francisco in 1913. The Ghadar Movement ranks alongside other revolutionary movements of the early 20th century. In common with revolutionary movements in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Black Liberation movements of North America, the Ghadar Movement opposed imperialist powers, colonialism, and strived to develop working class internationalism.

This conference is called, with the participation of approximately 18 scholars and activist from North America and the UK, to remember the Ghadar Movement, its historical development, and to analyze its contemporary relevance to the revolutionary struggle of the people of the Indian subcontinent. The conference will examine the Ghadar struggle as a journey from the 20th century, “a century of revolutions”, to its role in laying the foundation stones for the revolutions of the 21st century. These revolutions are crystallizing in response to the imperialist occupations of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Haiti, the air attacks on Pakistan and the possibility of NATO attacks on Iran and Syria. The economic meltdown of the European Union (EU) and North America resulting in mass unrest are adding to the cause of revolution. They are taking shape in the form of the Arab Spring, the ongoing revolutions in Venezuela, Nepal, and the emerging people’s struggles in India.

Behind these advances is the tremendous energy of social movements linked to struggles of gender, feminism, environment, minorities, caste, racism, peace, human rights and collective peoples’ rights. These social movements have the ability to simultaneously challenge and strengthen future revolutions. This conference is interested in engaging with the changing nature of revolutions and revolutionary struggles in 21st century, their relationship to the Ghadar movement, and above all the emancipatory value which can be attached to these struggles.

The conference programme is available here: Programme

For more information, please email: yorkughadarconference@gmail.com.