--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For some members of the radical Left…" description: "\"For some members of the radical Left, particularly in the West, people in developing countries are an ideological abstraction, on whom fantasies of lib..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/amitava-kumar-5002_developing-countries_for-some-members-of-the-radical-left-par_78113.png" --- # For some members of the radical Left, particularly in the… ![“For some members of the radical Left, particularly in the West, people in developing countries are an ideological abstraction, on whom fantasies of liberation are projected from a comfortable distance.” quote by Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/amitava-kumar-5002_developing-countries_for-some-members-of-the-radical-left-par_78113.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/amitava-kumar-5002_developing-countries_for-some-members-of-the-radical-left-par_78113.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/amitava-kumar-5002_developing-countries_for-some-members-of-the-radical-left-par_78113.png) > “For some members of the radical Left, particularly in the West, people in developing countries are an ideological abstraction, on whom fantasies of liberation are projected from a comfortable distance.” [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques how certain Western leftists treat people in developing nations as abstract symbols of oppression, projecting idealized liberation narratives without engaging with lived realities. **In simple terms:** Western leftist abstraction of Global South Key Takeaway Beware of distant idealism Themes postcolonial critique political idealism global inequality Western privilege identity politics Mood critical reflective cautious Type political critique social commentary cultural observation When to use this quote - academic discourse - activist meetings - policy debates - media commentary - NGO fundraising Key Concepts abstract representation liberation fantasy geopolitical distance ideological projection Practical Applications - reframing development narratives - grounding advocacy in lived experience Questions to Reflect On - How does distance affect solidarity? - What responsibilities arise when representing others? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Developing countries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/developing-countries/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Liberation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberation/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Radical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical/) ## Related quotes > [America is a simplified ideological abstraction, an emotive symbol represented by other abstract symbols like the flag. It is the object of a faithlike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/america-is-a-simplified-ideological-abstraction-an-emotive-symbol/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [When I entered the film school at the Prague Academy in the '50s, it was the hardest time in the Communist countries. The ideological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/when-i-entered-the-film-school-at-the-prague-academy-in-the-50s-it/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [I always have a plan, but then I'm always ready to throw the plan out, and everyone's ready to make a radical left turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/i-always-have-a-plan-but-then-i-m-always-ready-to-throw-the-plan-out/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [It is clear that the radical left has taken over the Democratic Party, leaving behind the party of John F. Kennedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/it-is-clear-that-the-radical-left-has-taken-over-the-democratic-party/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) > [Obviously, I'm no fan of the radical left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peterson/obviously-i-m-no-fan-of-the-radical-left/) [Jordan Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peterson/) > [You've seen it in the news - the radical left in our country, stinging from their 2016 election losses, has become increasingly desperate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kemp/you-ve-seen-it-in-the-news-the-radical-left-in-our-country-stinging/) [Brian Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kemp/) > [Syriza is what it is: a radical, left-wing party that feels the pulse of the times, knows what's at stake, and is after a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-tsipras/syriza-is-what-it-is-a-radical-left-wing-party-that-feels-the-pulse/) [Alexis Tsipras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-tsipras/) > [The radical Left wants control over the lives of the American people and will sink to any depths to get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/the-radical-left-wants-control-over-the-lives-of-the-american-people/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) > [While the radical left wants to dismantle, defund, and destroy, Republicans, under President Trump's leadership, want to rebuild, restore and renew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/while-the-radical-left-wants-to-dismantle-defund-and-destroy/) [Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/) > [“When I got to Harvard, I knew all the people who were the leaders of the radical left. Hilary Putnam at that time was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-got-to-harvard-i-knew-all-the-people-who-were-the-leaders-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The radical left is doing everything they can to destroy the moral fiber of America. They want to do away with the family. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/the-radical-left-is-doing-everything-they-can-to-destroy-the-moral/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [I will never back down from the radical left, and I will always put America and our military first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-never-back-down-from-the-radical-left-and-i-will-always-put/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [UN and rich countries must make financial support to the recipient poor and developing countries conditional that they must ensure 100 percent education, protection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irfan-aligi/un-and-rich-countries-must-make-financial-support-to-the-recipient/) Irfan Aligi > [Jobs in the public sector are increasingly dependent on technology, and more and more government services are available online in developed and developing countries.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tae-yoo/jobs-in-the-public-sector-are-increasingly-dependent-on-technology/) [Tae Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tae-yoo/) > [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) ## More by Amitava Kumar > [I thought I'd be the first to introduce herbal tea to Patna. White tea, ginger tea, rooibos, camomile. No one touched it. On subsequent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/i-thought-i-d-be-the-first-to-introduce-herbal-tea-to-patna-white-tea/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [Any real piece of writing is an act of courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/any-real-piece-of-writing-is-an-act-of-courage/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [We live in a cynical system where the powerful are able to exploit the demand of the aggressive few, from whichever religion or group,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/we-live-in-a-cynical-system-where-the-powerful-are-able-to-exploit/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [The writer will write in his or her words, but the readers, even when they are not reading you, will take it elsewhere entirely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/the-writer-will-write-in-his-or-her-words-but-the-readers-even-when/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [My past makes me an insider, but my profession makes me an outsider. A writer always stands outside to report on reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/my-past-makes-me-an-insider-but-my-profession-makes-me-an-outsider-a/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [“There is no point in fighting condescension with condescension.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/there-is-no-point-in-fighting-condescension-with-condescension/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [We learn that our lives find narrative form neither in the tired, familiar slogans of our captains nor in the symmetries of ideological camps,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/we-learn-that-our-lives-find-narrative-form-neither-in-the-tired/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [All good works of art must ask this question: 'You want to breathe free, yes, but do you know how to kiss?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/all-good-works-of-art-must-ask-this-question-you-want-to-breathe-free/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [An essay is not an op-ed that tells its reader what to think. An essay is a complicated working-out of one's own contradictions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/an-essay-is-not-an-op-ed-that-tells-its-reader-what-to-think-an-essay/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [Does the entry of Indian H-1B worker augur a change in the relations of production in the world of cybertechnology? No, but the presence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/does-the-entry-of-indian-h-1b-worker-augur-a-change-in-the-relations/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [Michael Ondaatje’s work taught me how to be at home in fragments, and how to think about a big story in carefully curated vignettes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/michael-ondaatje-s-work-taught-me-how-to-be-at-home-in-fragments-and/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [The thing about good art is that it makes you look at things in a new way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/the-thing-about-good-art-is-that-it-makes-you-look-at-things-in-a-new/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [To write what is not dead on the page, one has to be open to all kinds of disturbances and challenges and confusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/to-write-what-is-not-dead-on-the-page-one-has-to-be-open-to-all-kinds/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [Inequality reigns in horrifying ways, and not everyone can even read, but the world of media and advertising withholds very little from the imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/inequality-reigns-in-horrifying-ways-and-not-everyone-can-even-read/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [There is a great deal of freshness and charm in '400 Blows.' There is also a great deal of visual poetry in the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/there-is-a-great-deal-of-freshness-and-charm-in-400-blows-there-is/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) [Explore all 104 Amitava Kumar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) ## More Developing countries quotes > [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [Jobs in the public sector are increasingly dependent on technology, and more and more government services are available online in developed and developing countries.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tae-yoo/jobs-in-the-public-sector-are-increasingly-dependent-on-technology/) [Tae Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tae-yoo/) > [UN and rich countries must make financial support to the recipient poor and developing countries conditional that they must ensure 100 percent education, protection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irfan-aligi/un-and-rich-countries-must-make-financial-support-to-the-recipient/) Irfan Aligi > [A small child from a developing country has the advantage, from a very early age, of having access to toys which structure his mind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdoulaye-wade/a-small-child-from-a-developing-country-has-the-advantage-from-a-very/) [Abdoulaye Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdoulaye-wade/) > [Today, being the biggest developing countries in the world, China and India are both committed to developing their economy and raising their people's living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-peng/today-being-the-biggest-developing-countries-in-the-world-china-and/) [Li Peng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-peng/) > [As developing countries became bigger traders, it was clear that the old way of doing business wouldn't fly. To get them back to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-altman/as-developing-countries-became-bigger-traders-it-was-clear-that-the/) [Daniel Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-altman/) > [The massive corruption common in so many developing countries would be quite impossible if Western countries did not provide convenient opportunities to ship ill-gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pogge/the-massive-corruption-common-in-so-many-developing-countries-would/) [Thomas Pogge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pogge/) > [A multi-polar world can not exist without recognising the status and participation of developing countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-peng/a-multi-polar-world-can-not-exist-without-recognising-the-status-and/) [Li Peng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-peng/) > [I don't think that developing countries gained from a two-stage process. A single phase summit (which is, after all, a two year process, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-souter/i-don-t-think-that-developing-countries-gained-from-a-two-stage/) [David Souter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-souter/) > [Accepting Turkey as a member of the European club means that the club is open to outsiders, to Muslims, to poorer people, to developing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mango/accepting-turkey-as-a-member-of-the-european-club-means-that-the-club/) [Andrew Mango](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mango/) > [Building on our strong track record of supporting developing countries, including in areas like climate justice, human rights, gender and education, Ireland recognises that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/building-on-our-strong-track-record-of-supporting-developing/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [You can get an ice-cold Coke for around fifty cents in most developing countries, not just in the major population centers, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pogge/you-can-get-an-ice-cold-coke-for-around-fifty-cents-in-most/) [Thomas Pogge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pogge/) > [Also, it is interesting that developing countries, with China and India perhaps in the lead, where the future of the global environment will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-strong/also-it-is-interesting-that-developing-countries-with-china-and-india/) [Maurice Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-strong/) > [Making loans and fighting poverty are normally two of the least glamorous pursuits around, but put the two together and you have an economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/making-loans-and-fighting-poverty-are-normally-two-of-the-least/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [Many developing countries are enjoying demographic changes. They have a younger demographic composition so they're not burdened by legacy policy. Now, if you combine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-mulyani-indrawati/many-developing-countries-are-enjoying-demographic-changes-they-have/) [Sri Mulyani Indrawati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-mulyani-indrawati/) [Browse all 215 Developing countries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/developing-countries/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For some members of the radical Left, particularly in the West, people in developing countries are an ideological abstraction, on whom fantasies of liberation are projected from a comfortable distance.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Amitava Kumar" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/for-some-members-of-the-radical-left-particularly-in-the-west-people/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Developing countries" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/for-some-members-of-the-radical-left-particularly-in-the-west-people/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/amitava-kumar-5002_developing-countries_for-some-members-of-the-radical-left-par_78113.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/amitava-kumar-5002_developing-countries_for-some-members-of-the-radical-left-par_78113.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/amitava-kumar-5002_developing-countries_for-some-members-of-the-radical-left-par_78113.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For some members of the radical Left, particularly in the West, people in developing countries are an…” — Amitava Kumar", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Amitava Kumar", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For some members of the radical...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/for-some-members-of-the-radical-left-particularly-in-the-west-people/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/for-some-members-of-the-radical-left-particularly-in-the-west-people/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```