Gándhí ábrázolása Pakisztánban. „Hivatalos” történetírás és percepciók
Portraying Gandhi in Pakistan. ’Official’ History-Writing and Perceptions

Summary/Abstract: Research on how national heroes of ’the other’ are portrayed in a particular country is arguably a fascinating subject, especially if one chooses a case study of two countries that regard each other as enemies. In this article, relying on school textbooks and an online survey, I focus on how Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is portrayed and perceived in contemporary Pakistan. I seek to answer the questions of how iconic historical figures of India, in this case Gandhi, is portrayed in the ’official’ history-writing in Pakistan, and how it might shape perceptions about Gandhi in the country. This article is divided into three major sections. In the first part, relying mostly on secondary literature, I briefly reflect on Gandhi’s thoughts about the partition of the Indian subcontinent, and I discuss those events of the last year of his life that are of direct relevance from Pakistan’s perspective. In the second part of this article I discuss how ’official’ Pakistani history-writing portrays Gandhi, arguing that an examination of history textbooks used in state schools provide a substantial ground for such analysis. In this section I compare the narratives of two textbooks issued by the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board. The last, third part of this article aims to shed light on perceptions about Gandhi in Pakistan. My analysis here draws on an online survey I conducted among randomly selected Pakistani citizens who conducted their studies in Pakistan.

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