In the 1950s and 60s, geopolitical intrigues did not much engage masses in Asia and Africa; it was something for elites to sort out. Pankaj Mishra 1950s60safrica Change image and share on social
I think the presence of caste in India, how the villages are geographically structured on caste lines, is very different from China. The presence of an egalitarian culture is striking in a Chinese village. Pankaj Mishra castechinachinese share on social
I think subsuming political and economic conflicts into some grand 'clash of civilisations' theory or 'the West versus the rest' binary is a particularly insidious form of ideological deception. Pankaj Mishra binarycivilisationclash Change image and share on social
So much of western self-perception and intellectual worldview has been shaped by the moral rhetoric of the Cold War, the discourse in which communism featured as a clear enemy, determined to rule the world. Pankaj Mishra clearcoldcommunism share on social
For boys like me, in north Indian railway towns in the '70s and '80s, where nothing much happened apart from the arrival and departure of trains from big cities, the Soviet Union alone appeared to promise an escape from our limited, dusty world. Pankaj Mishra 70s80sappear share on social
As a young man in South Africa at the beginning of the twentieth century, Gandhi developed satyagraha, a mode of political activism based upon moral persuasion, while mobilizing South Africa's small Indian minority against racial discrimination. Pankaj Mishra activismafricabase share on social
After India and China, Indonesia was the biggest new nation-state to emerge in the mid-twentieth century. Pankaj Mishra bigcenturychina Change image and share on social
As the spiritual leader of six million people, the Dalai Lama can be credited with a significant renunciation of the authority of tradition - of the conventional politics of national self-interest as well as of religion. Pankaj Mishra authorityconventionalcredit share on social
I think there is no reason for us to bring to Islamism or political Islam the fear and ignorance of Western commentators and their hysterical vocabulary. Pankaj Mishra bringcommentatorfear Change image and share on social
Gandhi's ideas were rooted in a wide experience of a freshly globalized world. Pankaj Mishra experiencefreshlygandhi Change image and share on social
