DECOLONIZING ANTHROPOLOGY, an introduction

252pp., paperback, Polity Press, Cambridge, 2025

ISBN: 9781509540600

A critical examination of approaches to decolonization, new ways of thinking about the relationship between anthropology and colonialism, and how to extend the horizons of the discipline.

"A thoughtful, inviting, student-sensitive book that exudes conviviality in knowledge traditions and meaning-making. Venkatesan goes beyond prescriptive abstractions on the need for effective conversational inclusivity in rethinking the colonial logics underpinning anthropological thought and practice. Enthusiastically recommended." Francis B. Nyamnjoh, University of Cape Town

"This interrogation of a key moment in anthropological life comes from a practitioner who is also a teacher and learner. Venkatesan's three-year dialogue with students has opened up arguments and questions about decolonization in a surprisingly fresh, accessible and broad ranging way. At once conversational and deeply reflective, her work considers all over again anthropology's conditions of possibility." Marilyn Strathern, University of Cambridge

Soumhya Venkatesan is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Manchester.