From the Ruins of the Empire
by Pankaj Mishra
From the Ruins of the Empire
By Pankaj Mishra
In 1905, Japan's victory over Russia, followed by the annexation of Korea and Manchuria, was a game-changer for Asia. For the first time, a non-Western power had defeated a traditional Western power. This news thrilled people like Tagore, Sun Yat-sen, Gandhi, a 16-year-old Nehru, the young soldier Mustafa Kemal (who'd later be Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey), and even a schoolboy named Mao Zedong. They were all excited, dreaming of a new dawn for Asia.
This scene kicks off Pankaj Mishra's book. The book is basically a broad look at the times before and after this moment. It's filled with numerous characters, settings, and places, so it can sometimes be hard to follow. But at its core, it tracks the stories of three major intellectuals: Jamal al-Afghani, Liang Qichao, and Rabindranath Tagore.
Jamal al-Afghani was a loud critic of both colonial powers and the stagnation of the Muslim world. He believed in education, scientific progress, and unity among Muslim nations to fight Western domination. He pushed for Pan-Islamism and actively tried to influence contemporary monarchies like those in Persia and the Ottoman Empire, encouraging them to reform and strengthen their sovereignty in the face of European influence.
Mohammad Iqbal, known for his poem Sare Jahan Se Accha, was inspired by Al-Afghani too. Iqbal envisioned a separate homeland for Muslims in India, where they could live with dignity—an idea partly influenced by Al-Afghani's emphasis on unity and empowerment. Iqbal's work aimed to motivate Muslims to break free from passivity and colonial rule, echoing Al-Afghani's messages of self-reliance and cultural revival. Jinnah was also influenced by these ideas.
Liang Qichao was instrumental in trying to modernize and reform late Qing China. He campaigned for reforms against the Qing monarchy, inspired by Japan's Meiji Restoration, and advocated for things like a constitutional monarchy, political participation, and educational reform in China. Though the reform efforts ultimately failed and the monarchy fell in 1911, Liang's writings played a big role in shaping the ideas that influenced the Chinese Republic and leaders like Sun Yat-sen.
Rabindranath Tagore, unlike Al-Afghani or Sun Yat-sen, took a different approach. He focused more on philosophical and cultural renewal rather than direct political action. Tagore was skeptical of replacing Western colonialism with aggressive nationalism or militarism, instead arguing for a spiritual revival.
Tagore openly criticized the rising nationalism in both Europe and Asia, calling it a dangerous ideology that could lead to violence and suppress individual freedom. He warned that blind nationalism might lead newly independent nations to adopt the worst traits of their colonial rulers. He wasn't afraid to speak up—during a lecture tour in Japan, he criticized Japanese nationalism, which didn't sit well with his audience. He was booed, and people shouted at him to "Go back, Indian slave! We want materialism!" But Tagore ended up being right—Japan's nationalism later led to disaster during World War II.
Mishra also writes about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk as a significant exception to the other reformers. Atatürk successfully turned the remains of the Ottoman Empire into a modern, secular state—Turkey. Mishra highlights his commitment to Westernization, secularism, and the creation of a new Turkish identity. Atatürk inspired many other leaders across Asia who wanted to modernize and resist colonialism, though his secular nationalism was very different from the Pan-Islamism of people like Al-Afghani. Mishra presents Atatürk as both a symbol of modernization and a controversial figure who fundamentally reshaped Turkey and influenced anti-colonial movements throughout Asia.
Mishra uses phrases like "Communism of Confucius" and "Individualism of the Vedas" to show how Asian traditions provided meaningful responses to Western colonial ideologies. The "Communism of Confucius" points to Confucian values of social harmony and collective welfare, which resonate with aspects of communist ideology and were used to unify China. On the other hand, the "Individualism of the Vedas" speaks to the spiritual exploration and personal enlightenment emphasized in Vedic texts—highlighting a form of individualism that focuses more on self-discovery than material gain.
Mishra wraps up the book by touching on Arab chivalry, Persian poetry, Chinese ethics, and Indian thought—all of which represent deep cultural traditions that inspired Asian intellectuals to imagine an alternative to Western imperialism.
One thing I forgot to mention is the book helped me develop an empathy for Subhash Chandra Bose's position of approaching Japan for help.
Japan was trying to supplant western colonial powers by encouraging self governance in Burma, Malay peninsula and Indonesia.
Bose's actions are not out of place in that context. Although Lew Kuan Yew later remarked that they didn't need either West or Japan to govern themselves and that writing was on the wall too.