Why is Gandhi Wise? A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Gandhi as an Exemplar of Wisdom

This study explores cross-cultural differences in why Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi is nominated as an historical exemplar of wisdom. We compare the answers of emerging adults (aged 18–30) from three populations: Indian citizens, Canadian citizens, and Indian immigrants to Canada. Chi-square analyses showed that these groups emphasize significantly different aspects of Gandhi’s wisdom: Canadian citizens see Gandhi’s wisdom as practical and intellectual; Indian citizens see Gandhi’s wisdom as practical and benevolent; Indian immigrants to Canada consider Gandhi to integrate benevolent, intellectual, and practical aspects of wisdom; they also differ significantly in attributes associated with their implicit theory about his wisdom. Participants who know more about Gandhi also claim that he had a greater impact on their own lives. These findings suggest that historical exemplars of wisdom are filtered through the sociocultural contexts of each participant’s own lived experience, but that they still can be an inspiration in personally meaningful ways.