American politics Quote by Pankaj Mishra
““Many of them also became members, like Naipaul and Rushdie, of what the philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah calls a ‘comprador intelligentsia’: ‘a relatively small, Western-style, Western-trained group of writers and thinkers who mediate the trade in cultural commodities of world capitalism at the periphery’. Some others began to think, after close observation of European and American politics and history, that Voltaire and Kant, after all, might not hold the key to redemption, which may lie closer to home, in indigenous religious and cultural traditions.””
About This Quote
Source Book: From the Ruins of Empire by Pankaj Mishra, 2012
The quote critiques the elite class of Western‑educated intellectuals who act as cultural brokers for global capitalism, and suggests that true insight may be found in local traditions rather than European Enlightenment thought.
In simple terms: Elite intellectuals mediate global culture, but local traditions may hold deeper solutions.
Key Takeaway
Seek wisdom in indigenous cultures.
Themes
cultural critique
globalization
intellectual history
colonialism
tradition
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic analysis
- policy making
- education reform
- community activism
Key Concepts
cultural mediation
elite formation
knowledge hierarchy
Questions to Reflect On
- How can local traditions inform modern policy?
- What risks arise from relying on a “comprador intelligentsia”?
A Different Perspective
Western ideas may not fully address local challenges.
