Can we rethink human history by shifting our focus from the globe to the planet?

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Dipesh Chakrabarty, a leading scholar of postcolonial theory, argues that climate change demands a radical shift in how we perceive our existence. By distinguishing between the human-centric globe and the planetary, he challenges us to confront the Anthropocene and reconsider the very nature of human agency in history.

Born in Kolkata in 1948, Dipesh Chakrabarty began his academic journey in physics before pivoting to history, eventually earning his PhD from the Australian National University. As the Lawrence A. Kimpton Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, he has become a central figure in subaltern studies and postcolonial thought. His work, including the influential 2000 book Provincializing Europe, has consistently sought to dismantle traditional historical frameworks that center European experiences as universal.

Chakrabarty’s recent scholarship focuses on the profound implications of the Anthropocene. In his 2009 essay, The Climate of History: Four Theses, and his 2021 book, The Climate of History in a Planetary Age, he posits that climate change disrupts established notions of modernity and globalization. He introduces a critical distinction: the globe is a construction defined by human activity and economic history, whereas the planet represents a perspective that intentionally decenters the human. This planetary view forces us to recognize that humans are now a geological force, a reality that challenges the humanities to rethink the human condition.

His intellectual contributions have been recognized globally, earning him the 2014 Toynbee Prize and numerous honorary doctorates, including those from the University of London and the École normale supérieure. While his career has been marked by significant accolades, it has also faced scrutiny. In 2021, student groups protested his participation in a roundtable at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, citing past allegations of inappropriate behavior made by academic C. Christine Fair. Following a defamation lawsuit, some of these allegations were retracted. Despite these controversies, Chakrabarty remains a pivotal voice in contemporary theory, pushing scholars to bridge the gap between human history and the deep time of the planet.

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