Podcast Summary: Indology in Canada Conference – A Conversation with Dagmar Wujastyk

New Books Network | Host: Dr. Raj Balkar | Guest: Dr. Dagmar Wujastyk
Date: April 1, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode introduces the inaugural "Indology in Canada" conference, a new initiative designed to bring together scholars working on the history, cultures, and languages of India, with a special focus on pre-modernity, from across Canada. Dr. Dagmar Wujastyk, organizer of the conference and Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, shares her vision for the event, discusses the motivations behind its creation, addresses its intended audience and scope, and reflects on the broader state and future of Indology/South Asian Studies in Canada.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. What Is "Indology"?

• Definition: Indology encompasses the study of the history, cultures, and languages of India, typically with a focus on the pre-modern period, though not exclusively so.

  "Indology describes the study or engagement with the history, culture and languages of India and typically pre modern India. Though the term is really wide and broad and can be interpreted differently." — Dagmar Wujastyk (02:27)

• Contrast with South Asian Studies: Indology is an older, perhaps more European term, while "South Asian Studies" is more common in North America, often with modernity in mind.
• Re-claiming the Term: Wujastyk explains her intent to revitalize "Indology" as a positive, inclusive term for contemporary scholarship, not limited by colonial-era connotations.

  "I kind of want to use it as a positive term that is not necessarily just connected with ... colonial study of India, but bring it into modernity." (03:05)

2. The Conference’s Purpose and Rationale

• Fostering Community: The impetus for the conference was the lack of regular, Canada-focused spaces for Indologists to meet, network, and collaborate.

  "It's really about community and, and, and peers. Canada is such a big country...I haven't really met a lot of my colleagues." — DW (09:43)

• Bridging Distances: Geographical vastness in Canada makes in-person connections rare; this event aims to build a sense of collective identity among scholars in the field.
• Inclusive Definition: Although currently focused on pre-modern studies, the scope is broad in terms of topics, methodologies, and languages, and intentionally so to foster rich dialogue.

3. Inclusivity in Participation

• Diverse Academic Stages: The conference welcomes PhD students, postdocs, professors at all levels (including emeritus), independent scholars, and those in "alternative academia."

  "We have PhD students, we have postdocs, we have established assistant, associate and full professors, we have emeritus professors, we have students, scholars working in alternative academia." — DW (18:50)

• Open to the Public: No registration is required; anyone interested is welcome to attend.

  "Anyone who's just interested in the topic can come. I think the room can fit 80 people." (19:00)

• Disciplinary Breadth: While the first iteration focuses mainly on Sanskrit and pre-modern sources, future editions may branch out to Persian, vernaculars, or modern studies.

4. Conference Structure and Organization

• Panels by Affiliation, Not Topic: Sessions are structured to mix participants from different institutions and career stages, furthering cross-pollination.
• Hosting Model: Though debuting at the University of Alberta, future hosting will likely rotate among Canadian universities to maximize accessibility and institutional engagement.

  "I imagine that we would rotate between universities and venues...that's up to the group." — DW (14:02)

• Format and Frequency: Discussion remains ongoing about future iterations—possibilities include annual, biennial, triennial, or alternating online/in-person formats.

  "Maybe annual would be a bit much, but at least...the far side of that would be triennial." (22:00)

5. The Range of Presentations and Subject Areas

• Eclectic, Wide-Ranging Topics: The program includes narratives, epic literature, poetics, grammar, science (medicine, alchemy, astronomy), erotics, and Buddhist inscriptions.

  "Aspects of the narrative traditions, the epics, Hindu and Buddhist narrative literatures, grammatical traditions, poetics, storytelling, science...theory of erotics or kāmaśāstra..." — DW (26:07)

• Reflecting Indology’s Breadth: The variety demonstrates the field’s expansiveness and the diverse interests of Canadian scholars.

  "When I, my own talk will be about Indian alchemy...is there a mainstream? We're all doing very diverse things." (27:13)

6. Reflections on Conference Culture and Scholarship

• Value of In-Person Interactions: Wujastyk articulates the irreplaceable nature of in-person conferences for building scholarly relationships, compared to online/hybrid models.

  "For me, it's either fully online, everybody's online, or everybody's in a room. And...being in a room together, we can see how valuable that can be..." — DW (22:37)

• Public Scholarship as Translation: Both speakers discuss the importance of making Indology accessible, not just among scholars but to the public—translating both texts and methodologies for broader audiences.

  "So much of what we're doing is translating, not translating the text, but translating our methods, translating...why it matters." — RB (33:37)

7. Aspirations for the Future

• Informal, Communal Beginnings: The conference is "free-floating" and intentionally not part of a larger institutional body—for now. Its future direction will be collectively decided.

  "It's a sort of free floating conference that may become something more institutional if we decide to come together as a sort of Indology or South Asian Studies in Canada group..." — DW (24:55)

• Potential for Expansion: Encourages open dialogue on future thematic expansions, frequency, and inclusivity. No registration required; simply attend, join discussions, and help shape the future of Indology in Canada.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Reclaiming Indology:

  "I want people to have that word in their minds and understand that there is such a field." — Dagmar Wujastyk (03:00)

• On Conference Purpose:

  "To see if we have such a thing as a community and a common identity..." — DW (09:54)

• On Structure:

  "The way I organized the schedule wasn't really panels by topic, but panels by coming from different universities or different...stages in people's careers." — DW (18:58)

• On Public Scholarship:

  "So much of what we're doing is translating, not translating the text, but translating our methods, translating for them what it is that we're doing and why it matters." — Raj Balkar (33:37)

• On Participation:

  "You don't actually have to register. You just come, come along. On our poster there's a QR code and it just leads to the program. So just, just come along and join in..." — DW (35:18)

• Humorous/Relatable Moment:
  On travel distances in Canada:

  "Bam's not super far from you and it's extraordinary, right? ... In Canadian it is four or five hours away..." — RB and DW (20:35)

Timestamps of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |:-------------:|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:27 | Defining Indology and its contemporary relevance | | 05:00 | Discussion on inclusiveness and boundaries of the field | | 09:43 | The need for a Canadian Indology conference and building community | | 14:02 | Future of hosting and rotating venues | | 18:50 | Diversity of participants; openness to public | | 21:25 | Future frequency and consideration of formats | | 22:37 | Decision against hybrid format for the first conference | | 26:07 | Overview of conference topics and talks | | 33:37 | Reflections on public scholarship and accessibility | | 35:18 | Final invitation and open call for participation |

Final Thoughts

The "Indology in Canada" conference represents an exciting new chapter in Canadian scholarship on India. By prioritizing community, diversity, and accessibility, it sets out to establish a vibrant network of scholars and enthusiasts that reflects both the field’s rich tradition and its evolving future. Listeners are encouraged to attend, contribute, and help shape a distinctly Canadian approach to Indology and South Asian Studies.

No registration is needed—just show up, engage, and connect!
See links in the podcast notes for the full program.