Hartal
| Part of a series on |
| Organized labour |
|---|
 |
Hartal (pronounced
The term comes from Gujarati (હડતાળ, haḍtāḷ, or હડતાલ, haḍtāl), signifying the closing down of shops and warehouses with the goal of satisfying a demand. Mahatma Gandhi, who hailed from Gujarat, used the term to refer to his pro-independence general strikes, effectively institutionalizing the term.
Hartal is step 118 in Gene Sharp's 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action.[2]
History
The contemporary origins of this form of public protest date back to the
In South Asia
Hartals are still common in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and in parts of Sri Lanka, where the term is often used to refer specifically to the 1953 Ceylonese Hartal.
In Southeast Asia
The word is used to refer to various general strikes in the 1940s, the 1950s, and the 1960s such as the All-Malaya Hartal of 1947 and the 1967 Penang Hartal riot.[3]
The term was revived in modern Malaysia to the Hartal Doktor Kontrak, a strike by doctors in July 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic in response to the lack of permanent employment opportunities provided for them.[4][5]
See also
- Gherao
- Dharna
- Bandh
- Raasta roko
- Rail roko
- List of hartal in Bangladesh
- Political activism in Kerala
- Rowlatt Act (1919)
References
- ^ Online edition of Sunday Observer - 10 Aug 2003
- ^ Sharp, Gene. "198 Methods of Nonviolent Action". Albert Einstein Institution. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-1490572741.
- ^ "Contract medical officers walk out nationwide in support of Hartal, call for immediate reform". The Star. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ Chua, Minxi (23 July 2021). ""We Are All Hartal": Malaysian Contract Doctors to Strike". New Naratif. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
Further reading
- ISBN 978-0-521-86362-9.
- Chowdhury, Mahfuzul H. (2003). Democratization in South Asia : lessons from American institutions. Ashgate. pp. 84, 92. ISBN 0-7546-3423-X.
- ISBN 0-8133-3901-4.
- ISBN 978-0-415-73461-5.
- Hossain, Akhtar (May–June 2000). "Anatomy of Hartal Politics in Bangladesh". Asian Survey. 40 (3): 508–529. JSTOR 3021159.