Abstract:
In this talk, I examine the conceptual and material dimensions of decolonisation at the point where state power, the marginalised intersect. My aim is to criticise the logic of contemporary decolonisation. I argue that most influential versions of decolonisation, especially those directed at theory and science, are logically untenable. The paper is organised into four sections. The first clarifies what are taken to be the objects of decolonisation and what is meant by an act of decolonisation. The second and third sections critically analyse the arguments for decolonising theory and decolonising science, respectively. The final section exposes the logical flaws that, I argue, undermine prevailing projects of decolonisation.
Bio Note:
Shinod is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Hyderabad. Before joining UoH, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Humanities and Social Sciences Department, IIT Delhi. He has also had short teaching stints at Brennan College and the University of Calicut.
His recent publications include “Why Computer Simulation Cannot Be an End of Thought Experimentation” in the Journal for General Philosophy of Science, and “Film, Philosophy and Thought Experiments” (forthcoming). His research interests are in the history and philosophy of science.