Co‐operation and Co‐operatives: The global dilemmas of Tagore's Rural Democracy

Rabindranath Tagore experimented with co‐operatives as part of his commitment to the ethic of co‐operation that, he believed, could rescue the world from self‐destructive competition. Co‐operatives were an important part of the program of rural reconstruction at Sriniketan, a part of Viswabharati. Tagore's co‐operatives seek to activate a social ethic that can establish symmetrical relationships within and between the global, national, and local. They impinge on the desire for a substantive culture of democracy. Tagore's efforts are undertaken as part of a global network of ideas and practices, especially those formed in Ireland. Sriniketan gives practical shape to this co‐operative program and in doing so, runs into problems. These are actually profound dilemmas that have major implications for an alternate vision of a shared world.