Podcast Summary:

New Books Network – "Decolonial Keywords: South Asian Thoughts and Attitudes" with Dr. Rennie Thomas and Dr. Sasanka Perera
Aired: February 26, 2026
Host: Dr. Raj Balkar

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode features an in-depth conversation with Dr. Rennie Thomas and Dr. Sasanka Perera, co-editors of the upcoming Columbia University Press volume, Decolonial Keywords: South Asian Thoughts and Attitudes (2025). The book gathers scholarly essays re-examining key social, cultural, and political concepts from diverse South Asian languages, aiming to rethink and decentralize the theoretical constructs that often stem from Western academia.

The episode explores:

• The genesis of the book project
• The methodology and intentions behind assembling entries on decolonial keywords
• Concrete examples from the book’s content
• The broader intellectual and political stakes of theorizing from South Asia’s lived realities and languages

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Origins & Motivation for the Book

• Intellectual Inspiration: The idea traces back to early conversations around South Asian contributions to global theory, particularly after the founding of South Asian University in New Delhi (01:43). The initial aim was to "see whether some kind of contribution towards philosophy and thinking... could come from our part of the world. It usually comes from what we call the west" (Dr. Sasanka Perera, 01:57).
• Collaboration: The project took shape when Thomas and Perera met in Bhopal, merging their scholarly backgrounds: "a Buddhist and a Catholic have been brought together in this kind of thing. And I think both these histories had to come into place, otherwise this wouldn't have worked." (Perera, 02:43).

Approach & Structure

• Linguistic Mapping: Rather than geographic borders, the volume’s framework is shaped by language. For example, an entry on "Tamil" encompasses speakers across India and Sri Lanka, showing how language cuts across conventional national boundaries (Thomas, 05:11–06:35).
• Contributor Selection: Authors were chosen for their deep familiarity with specific concepts in their languages, tasked with introducing under-discussed words, concepts, or categories (Perera, 06:35–07:26).

Theoretical & Methodological Stakes

• Decolonial Approach:
  • The book is not about rejecting Western theory, but expanding the sources of theoretical insight. "We are not rejecting any of these things. We are simply trying to see whether we can also contribute things from our languages... assuming that concepts and philosophies have to come from the context and the temporal conditions which [we] actually work" (Thomas, 07:26).
  • Entries aim to avoid both nativism and reductive appropriations of the "decolonial," exploring how to resist both Western hegemony and dominant linguistic or socio-political forces within South Asia (Perera, 08:01–09:54).

Format Innovations

• Essay Length & Depth: Each entry is a substantive essay (4,000–5,000 words), offering "far more space for scholars to think about their ideas" than previously attempted in similar keyword projects (Thomas, 16:52).
• From Below: Several essays explicitly theorize "from below," incorporating Dalit, indigenous, and minority Islamic perspectives rather than reproducing dominant frameworks (Perera, 23:38).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the Book’s Overarching Premise

• "If when we are studying South Asia with western categories, our categories don't change, it means we're not really studying South Asia... the data should enrich the category." – Dr. Raj Balkar (09:54)

On Decoloniality & Power Dynamics

• "Coloniality can also come from hegemonic use of language within our countries... The way in which cultural mapping is done in this book, the reimagination of South Asia, is primarily through language." – Dr. Rennie Thomas (06:34, 13:34)

On the Aim of the Project

• "We are interested in looking at the ways in which our languages and cultures have produced certain kinds of knowledge... We want these words and concepts to be able to talk to the present in this region as well as in the rest of the world, if it's possible." – Dr. Rennie Thomas (24:53)

On Surprises Encountered

• "I grew up knowing what shoonya meant since I was, you know, grade one. But then knowing that and knowing what [Prathama Banerjee] is talking about are two very different things. Right? So in that sense, it surprised me because... the possibilities of interpretation and so on that we have not touched." – Dr. Rennie Thomas (28:11)

• "The essay on Korva... helps us reimagine poesy beyond the parameters of existing literary theories... pushes against narrow limits of high and low divisions of art, transcending the binaries of material culture and literature, and offers tools to reimagine the firmly defined categories of Western aesthetics." – Dr. Sasanka Perera, quoting contributor Ezan (30:23)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 01:01 – Host introduction and framing of the book’s novel approach
• 01:43–03:42 – Origins of the collaboration & intentions of the book
• 04:13–06:34 – On assembling contributors, language-centric approach
• 07:26–09:54 – Theorizing from context; depth and aims of each essay
• 12:02–16:52 – Defining and critiquing "decolonial," with concrete examples (Aragalaya, maroon, ego, laboratory)
• 19:42–22:58 – Intended readership and the challenge to Western-centric universality of theory
• 23:38–24:47 – Moving away from Brahmanism; valorizing "thinking from below"
• 24:53–27:42 – The project’s broader significance and future possibilities
• 28:11–32:34 – Editors’ surprises and favorite essays/entries

Highlighted Examples from the Book

• Aragalaya (Sinhala): Traces evolution from a term for musical jewelry to a rallying cry for Sri Lankan protest and social change, signifying nonviolent struggle (Thomas, 13:34–16:52).

• Maroon (Nagaland): A word for male dormitories, explored for its implications in socialization and marginalization within state power structures (Perera, 16:52–18:06).

• Ego (Arunachal Pradesh): Describes shamanic figures whose worldview, blending human-animal relations, offers insights into environmental theory from a decolonial stance (Perera, 18:06–19:42).

• Laboratory: Rethinks the meaning of laboratory beyond large institutions, asking "what happens to the smaller laboratories that we see in our everyday life and how that contributes to our understanding of the social and the science" (Perera, 18:56).

• Shoonya: Classical concept meaning zero/nothingness, reinterpreted through Prathama Banerjee’s essay to show unexplored layers of meaning (Thomas, 28:11).

• Korva (Tamil/Arabic): A complex literary and philosophical concept reimagined to challenge Western binaries in aesthetics, described through a vivid closing passage shared by Perera (30:23).

Audience & Impact

• Aimed At: Readers and scholars curious about theory beyond Western constructs; those open to "thinking out of the box" about philosophy, social theory, and knowledge production (Thomas, 19:52).
• Broader Impact: Seeks to challenge the universalizing tone of Western theory and invite global engagement with South Asian concepts, methodologies, and lived realities (Perera, 21:57–22:58).

Closing Thoughts

Dr. Rennie Thomas:
"What I would like to see is a conversation around the possibility of theorizing based on this book... this is the beginning, and this is also not... a cry towards the past and nativism... We want these words and concepts to... talk to the present in this region as well as in the rest of the world." (24:53)

Dr. Sasanka Perera:
"We would like to see how this can have a conversation with those [Latin American and other] kinds of theorization... I think there'll be much that we share with the other places as well." (27:02)

For Listeners:

Decolonial Keywords: South Asian Thoughts and Attitudes promises a paradigm shift in how theorization about South Asia—and possibly the global South—can happen, privileging context, language, and lived experience over imported universals. The episode is an engaging, intellectually rich primer for anyone interested in the future of theory, decolonization, and South Asian studies.