Identifying and Correcting Colonial Language Distortions in Academic Writing on India

| April–October 2026

Re-examining How India Is Described in Academic Writing

Modern academic writing on India frequently employs conceptual categories and terminology inherited from colonial scholarship. While these categories have shaped the study of Indian history, philosophy, society, and culture for generations, they can sometimes impose frameworks that do not adequately correspond to Indic concepts, institutions, or knowledge traditions.

Terms such as myth, belief, ritual, religion, and generalized formulations such as Hinduism may carry assumptions derived from European intellectual histories that are not always appropriate for describing Indian traditions on their own terms.

The CivStudies Foundation is undertaking a systematic research project to identify such instances, examine the assumptions embedded in academic language, and develop more conceptually precise alternatives grounded in Indian Knowledge Systems.

The project brings together textual analysis, conceptual research, Indic epistemology, and scholarly editing to examine how language shapes the academic understanding of India.

What We Are Researching?

The project examines academic literature across areas including:

• Indian philosophy and intellectual traditions

• Indian history and historiography

• Society and social institutions

• Culture and religious traditions

• Education and knowledge systems

• Contemporary academic descriptions of India

The research focuses on a central question:

Does the terminology being used accurately represent the Indian concept being described, or does it impose an external conceptual framework upon it?

Where a conceptual mismatch is identified, the research examines the underlying assumptions and explores whether an Indic category, terminology, or formulation provides a more accurate representation.

Our Research Method

The project follows a structured process of identification → analysis → contextualisation → correction → documentation.

1. Identify: Academic texts are examined to identify recurring linguistic patterns, inherited categories, and formulations that may inadequately represent Indic concepts.

2. Analyse: Each instance is examined at both the linguistic and conceptual levels. Researchers investigate the assumptions embedded within the terminology and the intellectual framework from which it originates.

3. Contextualise: The concept is studied in relation to relevant Indian sources, traditions, philosophical frameworks, and historical contexts.

4. Correct: Where appropriate, the original formulation is revised to provide a more conceptually accurate and context-sensitive description.

5. Document: The findings are systematically documented to create a research corpus that can support future scholarship, teaching, and editorial work.

Building a Corpus of Annotated Scholarship

A key outcome of the project is the development of annotated examples of academic writing.

Each example records:

1. Original Text, The formulation used in the academic source.

2. Linguistic Observation, The terminology or linguistic construction that requires examination.

3. Conceptual Analysis, The underlying conceptual or epistemological issue.

4. Indic Framework, Relevant Indic categories, concepts, sources, or knowledge traditions.

5. Revised Formulation, A proposed alternative that seeks greater conceptual and contextual accuracy.

This approach allows the project to move beyond general critiques of colonial scholarship and towards specific, documented, and academically usable interventions.

Research Outputs: The project is working towards a set of resources that can support scholars, educators, editors, and researchers working on India.

Annotated Research Corpus: A collection of documented examples demonstrating how inherited terminology and conceptual categories operate in academic writing on India.

Conceptually Corrected Passages: Revised academic passages that demonstrate how descriptions can be reformulated while retaining scholarly rigour.

Indic-Aligned Terminology Guidelines: A working framework for evaluating and selecting terminology when describing Indian concepts, traditions, institutions, and knowledge systems.

Editorial Guide for Decolonial Academic Writing: A practical guide for researchers and editors seeking to improve conceptual accuracy in academic writing on India.

Together, these outputs seek to contribute to a more context-sensitive and conceptually rigorous scholarship on Indian civilisation. As part of this project, Civstudies Foundation is engaging two Research Interns for a six-month research engagement from April to October 2026. The interns work as part of the research process and receive training in textual analysis, conceptual analysis, Indic knowledge frameworks, and scholarly editing.

Research Areas

Interns work on:

• Critical analysis of academic literature on India

• Identification of Eurocentric or inherited conceptual categories

• Analysis of terminology and its underlying assumptions

• Comparative examination of Indic and modern academic categories

• Research into relevant Sanskrit and Indic concepts

• Annotation and scholarly revision of selected passages

• Documentation of research findings

• Preparation of research and editorial materials

The internship therefore provides hands-on experience in a research process that combines Indological inquiry, conceptual analysis, and contemporary academic scholarship.

Research Training & Mentorship

Interns receive structured research exposure and mentorship under senior scholars working in areas relevant to Indian knowledge traditions, education, mathematics, and interdisciplinary scholarship.

Headed by Principal Investigator Dr. C. S. Yogananda
Professor of Mathematics, Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, Mysuru. His areas of expertise include mathematics, education, and Indian knowledge frameworks.