Who Gets to Define Yoga? For more than a century, the global conversation on yoga has been shaped by institutions and scholars far removed from the civilizational context that produced it. As a result, one of humanity's oldest living knowledge systems is increasingly explained through frameworks that often overlook its own sources, methods, and practitioners. In this presentation youtu.be/vOdj3-HORc0?si=-ES0…, Smt Nrithya Jagannathan challenges several assumptions that have become commonplace in modern yoga studies. The claim that postural yoga is largely a colonial-era invention, she argues, rests on a selective reading of history - one that privileges certain texts while ignoring temple iconography, vernacular traditions, oral lineages, and the lived practices that have sustained yoga across India for centuries. This raises a larger question. Why are living traditions so often required to justify themselves to external frameworks, while those frameworks are rarely required to account for what they leave out? The issue is not whether yoga evolved. All living traditions evolve. The issue is whether evolution is being mistaken for invention, and whether absence from a particular archive is being mistaken for absence from history itself. Jagannathan's critique extends beyond academia. The modern wellness industry has transformed yoga into a global commodity - rebranding, fragmenting, and repackaging practices for consumption. In the process, meditation is separated from yoga, philosophy from practice, and methodology from technique. What remains is often a highly marketable product, but not necessarily the tradition itself. The deeper challenge before us is intellectual. Can yoga be understood through its own categories of knowledge? Can concepts such as adhikāra, sādhanā, anushāsana, and dhyāna be treated as serious epistemic frameworks rather than cultural artifacts awaiting Western interpretation? Civilizations do not survive merely through preservation. They survive when they retain the authority to explain themselves. Perhaps the future of yoga depends not only on who practices it, but also on who gets to define it. Register for a Master Class on an Introduction to the Yogasutras by Smt Nrithya Jagannathan, Aug 21-23, New Delhi: indica.events/event/master-c… #Yoga #IndianKnowledgeSystems #DecolonizingKnowledge #YogaStudies #Krishnamacharya #Patanjali #IndicStudies #CivilizationalKnowledge #KnowledgeSystems #Dharma #YogaPhilosophy #ThoughtLeadership

The South Asian University, through its Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), is pleased to host the Young Scholars Conference on “Epistemic Shifts from the Global South: Disrupting Colonial Cartographies of Knowledge” on April 9–10, 2026. The inaugural address on ‘Relevance of South Asian Knowledge Systems in Contemporary Times’ will be delivered by Hon’ble SAU President, Prof. K.K. Aggarwal. The inaugural session will feature an introduction to the conference theme by Dr Ravi Kumar, Director, CETL. Bringing together emerging scholars, the conference aims to foster critical engagement with decolonial thought, South Asian knowledge systems, and contemporary global challenges. #SouthAsianUniversity #EpistemicShifts #GlobalSouth #DecolonialStudies #KnowledgeSystems #DecolonizingKnowledge #YoungScholars #AcademicConference

Fun fact 🇪🇷📚 Did you know Prof. Asmerom Legesse first sought to write his dissertation on Eritrean history—but was rejected by Ethiopia’s education minister in 1960 because he was Eritrean? That was the year the ELF began, and researching Eritrea was deemed “unthinkable.” He pivoted and produced a groundbreaking study on the Oromo Gada system, inspired by his grandfather’s ties and Harvard studies—authoring “Gada: Three Approaches to the Study of African Society.” The Oromo rightly honor him—sometimes even claiming him 😄but let’s be clear: he is an Eritrean scholar who introduced Gada to the world. #AsmeromLegesse #EritreanScholars #GadaSystem #Oromo #AfricanStudies #Eritrea #History #DecolonizingKnowledge

A Imagem desta postagem é o GROK. @grok @jlprdeangola @KamalaHarris @MichelleObama @LulaOficial @kyalo_mulinge @humble55u @Catwomam_ @brkindle @opedrorenno @AmordAlma_ Fazer luz: Lévi-Strauss e a dignidade do pensamento humano / Making Light: Lévi-Strauss and the Dignity of Human Thought miluramalho.wordpress.com/20… via @MiluRamalho #ClaudeLeviStrauss #TheSavageMind #Anthropology #CriticalTheory #DecolonizingKnowledge #EpistemicJustice #AntiEurocentrism #HumanDignity #MythAndReason #PowerAndKnowledge

📢 New Release! 📕 Decolonizing Empowerment: Rethinking Women’s Agency through Indigenous Voices Taseer Salahuddin Alia Ahmed 📍 The global conversation on women’s empowerment often unfolds within Western paradigms that, while influential, overlook the rich and complex realities of women across diverse societies. Decolonizing Empowerment: Indigenous Voices and Cultural Realities in Women’s Agency challenges this universalized approach and instead redefines empowerment through the lived experiences and cultural perspectives of women themselves—particularly those from indigenous and marginalized communities. Empowerment is a concept layered with meaning—autonomy, agency, equality, and control are its familiar terms—yet these definitions often fail to capture the diversity and texture of women’s real lives. Decolonizing Empowerment invites us to listen to women’s own voices and to recognize empowerment as a fluid, context-driven, and deeply personal process. It shifts the focus from imposed frameworks to self-defined realities, creating space for plural expressions of strength and dignity. Grounded in participatory and ethnographic research, the book brings together the narratives of fifty-six women whose stories reveal empowerment as a collective, cultural, and spiritual journey rather than a purely individual one. Through their words emerge new ways of understanding empowerment—rooted in community, belonging, continuity, and justice—that broaden the global dialogue on gender and equality. More than an academic contribution, Decolonizing Empowerment is a call to action. It urges us to move beyond one-size-fits-all models and to embrace empowerment that grows from within, honoring women’s cultural truths and lived experiences. By amplifying indigenous and local voices, this book opens a path toward more inclusive, authentic, and transformative understandings of what it means to be empowered. #empowerment #indigenousvoices #genderstudies #decolonizingknowledge #womensagency

“Africa doesn’t lack scholarship, it lacks visibility.” 🌍 Prof Frans Viljoen (African Human Rights Law Journal) calls for African-led models of research evaluation, challenging ranking systems that sideline African journals. #DecolonizingKnowledge #KabarakConferenceWeek2025

Looking at the vast canvas of debates concerning what is knowledge and how knowledge has always been intertwined with the political, cultural and social processes one realizes that the task of framing the South Asian Knowledge Systems (SAKS) is more than merely reproducing what was produced in this part of the world. It is neither about uncritically using those knowledges nor about restricting it to a mere past. It is about looking at knowledge production as a continuous process and making sense of how to read the knowledges produced in the South in context of their own space and time. Web link: cetl.sau.int/conferences/ #SouthAsianKnowledgeSystems #KnowledgeProduction #DecolonizingKnowledge #EpistemicSouth #CriticalEpistemology #KnowledgeAndPower #SouthAsianStudies #IntellectualTraditions #southasianuniversity

Embark on a profound journey into the heart of Hindu thought with our course, Orientation to Hindu Studies. This foundational program introduces you to the diverse perspectives of Hindu traditions—both from within the lived experience of Sanātana Dharma and from modern academic frameworks. Explore key concepts, texts, and practices from the Vedas, Upanishads, Itihāsa, and Bhagavad Gītā, while reflecting on how Hindu knowledge systems interface with contemporary thought. This course sets the stage for deeper study in Hindu philosophy, culture, and traditions, guiding you toward an authentic and decolonized understanding of Hindu Studies. Faculty – Shri. Kalyan Viswanathan Registration Link: hua.edu/courses/orientation-… #HinduStudies #SanatanaDharma #VedicWisdom #DecolonizingKnowledge #HinduPhilosophy #Dharma #SacredTraditions #HUA #SpiritualLearning #HinduHeritage #Vedanta #KnowledgePath

Prof. Muhimbo Nazarious Rukanyagira at the Regional Research Conference 2025! Topic: “Decolonizing Research and Knowledge Production in Africa” 📅 Sept 12 | ⏰ 8:00 AM (EAT) | 🌐 Online Register: lnkd.in/d_9nkrm9 #MIUConference2025 #ResearchForChange #DecolonizingKnowledge

If you're ready to submit, send your paper or panel proposal here: brais.ac.uk/symposium Please share with colleagues! #CallForPapers #IslamicStudies #GlobalMajority #DecolonizingKnowledge #Istanbul #BRAIS

This moment—worth every ounce of effort. My heart is so full. #NewPublication #AfricanFeminism #DecolonizingKnowledge #EndFGM #HumanRights #SRHR #AfricanVoices #LawAndSociety #GenderJustice #OpenAccess #FGM #AuthorMoment

🌎 The South is not just a place, it's a lens to understand the world differently. It's a way of seeing, questioning, and connecting that comes from lived realities across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Be part of the conversation. #WhatDoesTheSouthSay #GlobalSouth #PEGS2024 #EmergentPoliticalEconomies #PoliticalEconomy #DecolonizingKnowledge

𝐀̀ 𝐥𝐚 𝐦𝐞́𝐦𝐨𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞 𝐘𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐞 (𝟏𝟗𝟒𝟏–𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓) Le monde intellectuel africain et mondial perd l’une de ses voix les plus puissantes. Yves Mudimbe, philosophe, écrivain, philologue et penseur de la décolonisation des savoirs, s’est éteint. 📚 Auteur de The Invention of Africa (1988), Parables and Fables, L'Odeur du père ou encore Le Bel Immonde, son œuvre a profondément marqué les études africaines, les sciences humaines et sociales, et la pensée critique. 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 salue l’immense héritage intellectuel qu’il laisse derrière lui. Mudimbe n’a cessé de questionner les cadres épistémologiques dominants et d’ouvrir des voies nouvelles pour penser l’Afrique, hors des assignations et des silences imposés. 🙏 Reposez en paix, Professeur.  #GlobalAfrica #YvesMudimbe #DécoloniserLesSavoirs #PenséeAfricaine #PhilosophieAfricaine #Hommage 𝐈𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐞 (1941–2025) The African and global intellectual world has lost one of its most powerful voices. Yves Mudimbe—philosopher, writer, philologist, and thinker of knowledge decolonization—has passed away.   📚 Author of The Invention of Africa (1988), Parables and Fables, L'Odeur du père, and Le Bel Immonde, his work has profoundly shaped African studies, the humanities and social sciences, and critical thought.   𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 pays tribute to the immense intellectual legacy he leaves behind. Mudimbe relentlessly challenged dominant epistemological frameworks and opened new paths to think Africa beyond imposed silences and assigned identities.   🙏 Rest in peace, Professor. #GlobalAfrica #YvesMudimbe #DecolonizingKnowledge #AfricanThought #AfricanPhilosophy #Tribute

FLAME University is proud to announce that Prof. Maya Dodd (@mayadodd), Faculty of Humanities and Languages, has been invited to speak at the Australasian Association for Digital Humanities (aaDH) DH Seminar Series. Prof. Dodd’s talk, “Locating a New Historiography for India: Digital Archives and Public History,” will delve into the transformative potential of digital archives in amplifying marginalized voices in India’s historical narratives. By exploring community knowledge archiving and the emergence of digital cultures, she will highlight how the convergence of diversity and digitality in 21st-century India offers a powerful avenue to rethink and rewrite histories. This insightful discussion will also touch upon the role of digital tools in decolonizing knowledge production, paving the way for more inclusive and dynamic historiography. Join us for this insightful session and engage in a discussion on reimagining historical narratives through digital tools. Register here: unimelb.zoom.us/meeting/regi… #FLAMEUniversity #DigitalHumanities #PublicHistory #Historiography #IndiaStudies #DecolonizingKnowledge #DigitalArchives #HumanitiesInnovation #DiversityAndInclusion #KnowledgeProduction

Indic Perspectives On Human Development: An Eternal Parikramā By Rachana Bhangaokar This @iiw_org Samvad traces the evolution of the field of Human Development and Family Studies (previously, Child Development) in India discussing overlaps with developmental psychology, and its “received” Euro-American understanding. Anecdotes and personal experiences illustrate how the mind space of academic research and teaching is navigated against a backdrop of rising consciousness about decolonizing psychological knowledge. Using the metaphor of being in an eternal parikramā, the concept of human development in India is then unpackaged using the Indic lens. The talk ends with important questions about cultivating a yātri or a parikramāvāsi mindset, to contemplate on difficult questions facing the world. How can Indic knowledge help create a more sustainable, compassionate global psychology? Watch: youtu.be/EBFfkmD2p3M @PKaipa @Saisambat #HumanDevelopment #FamilyStudies #Psychology #DecolonizingKnowledge #IndicLens #GlobalPsychology #EternalParikrama #AcademicResearch #TeachingJourney #CulturalPerspectives #IndianPsychology #SustainableFuture #Compassion #IndicWisdom #Decolonization #Mindset #Contemplation #AcademicJourney #CulturalAwareness #Interdisciplinary #KnowledgeExchange #CultivatingWisdom #PsychologicalInsights #GlobalPerspective #CrossCulturalUnderstanding #AcademicDiscourse #WorldChallenges #CulturalHeritage #SustainableSolutions #CompassionateLiving #IndicTraditions #IKS #IndicKnowledgeSystems #IndianKnowledgeSystems #IndigenousKnowledgeSystems #IndianHeritage #IndicHeritage #IndianCulture #IndicCulture #IndianKnowledgeTraditions #IndicKnowledgeTraditions

David Corn  9:00a – 10:00a – David Corn, Mother Jones' Washington bureau chief and bestselling author of "American Psychosis," joins Tavis to dissect the latest trending political headlines.  Dr. Lewis Gordon  10:00a – 11:00a – Dr. Lewis Gordon joins Tavis to discuss the relevance of philosophical insights to contemporary challenges, outlined in his latest book "Black Existentialism and Decolonizing Knowledge: Writings of Lewis R. Gordon."  Dion Rambo  11:00a – 11:30a – Dion Rambo, CEO and Founder of Rambo House, joins Tavis for a conversation about how we can increase Black representation in the business contract pipeline.   John Diggs  11:30a – 12:00p – John Diggs, former pro football player and successful mortgage executive, joins Tavis to discuss the transformative power of "mind mapping" to unlock creativity and enhance productivity.  #politics #americanpsychosis #blackexistentialism #decolonizingknowledge #rambohouse #dionrambo #blackrepresentation #businesscontracts #mindmapping #tavissmileyshow

Did you miss our panel on multilinguality on @wikimedia at #Wikimania? 🌏 Watch the session on #DecolonizingKnowledge through languages moderated by our Language Justice coordinator Claudia Pozo w/ Ishan Chakraborty, Paska Darmawan & Dumisani Ndubane 💻 youtube.com/live/RolmsVXl088…

School of Liberal Arts, Bennett University and Sahitya Akademi organized an immensely productive seminar on 'Decolonizing Knowledge Systems in India'. A glimpse from the event. #BennettUniversity #DecolonizingKnowledge #SahityaAkademi #EmpoweringMinds #EmbracingDiversity

The amazing @uofcincy @TaftResearch Taft Professor of Public Humanities @drhollymcgee doing her magic, demystifying CRT! #28DaysOfBlackHistory #publichumanities #decolonizingknowledge

OnlineFirst - "Doing environmental justice: Prospects for sustainable engagement—From classroom to fieldwork" by Bilal Butt (@Enviro_conflict): @UMSEAS @UMich #JEDI #BIPOC #decolonizingknowledge #fieldwork #justice #engagement #racism journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs…