Pankaj Mishra talks to William Dalrymple

Israel’s war on Gaza and Lebanon has brought to light two competing narratives of the last century: the West’s triumphant account of victory over Nazi and communist totalitarianism versus the global majority’s frequently thwarted version of racial equality.

In his new book The World After Gaza, Indian essayist and novelist Pankaj Mishra takes the war in the Middle East, and the bitterly polarised reaction to it, as the starting point for a broad reevaluation of these two narratives.

Mishra talks to historian William Dalrymple about how the world’s balance of power is shifting, and why it is critically important to enter the experiences and perspectives of the majority of the world’s population.

The pair look at key questions including why it seems some lives matter more than others, what is contributing to a far-right surge in the West, and how we go about creating a new history with a different perspective.

Mishra writes literary and political essays for outlets including the New York Times and the New York Review of Books. His books include From the Ruins of Empire and Age of Anger: A History of the Present.