HCIAS Wednesday Colloquium – Dialogues Across World Regions Area Studies and Methodology in the Anthropology of South Asia

As a cultural anthropologist focusing on South Asia, Prof. Sax is guided by three methodological-cum-theoretical principles: Decoloniality, Contextualism, and Empiricism. Decoloniality requires that his explanatory models should not be imposed from the outside, but be based upon local ideas; Contextualism is the principle that the words and actions of those whom he studies can only be understood in an historical and cultural context; and Empiricism is the principle that his research be based on concrete experiences rather than abtract theories. In his talk, Prof. Sax will elaborate on these three principles and illustrate them with a few case studies.