The Need for Roots brought home the modern era's disconnection with the past and the loss of community

Source: Pankaj Mishra
Affiliation: The Guardian

In this article, Mishra connects Simone Weil's concept of uprootedness to her own experiences moving to a Himalayan village. Uprootedness is a kind of "spiritual malaise" brought about by the destruction, via capitalism and global commerce, of traditional bonds to place and community. "Material affluence and political stability," Mishra argues, have tempered the affects of uprootedness in the developed world (though the recent rise of far-right and authoritarian parties shows it is still relevant), but it remains extremely dangerous to societies in the developing world. 

 

Image credit: Sanjeev Gupta/EPA

Keywords: Alienation , Meaning of Work , Philosophy , Politics