An autoethnography of a transformative odyssey: decolonizing anthropology, the hegemony of English, and the pursuit of plurilogies

Inayat Ali ()
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Inayat Ali: Fatima Jinnah Women University

Palgrave Communications, 2024, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract In this autoethnographic account of my own transformative odyssey, via drawing on my personal experiences as a Pakistani anthropologist, I explore the pervasive impacts of English language hegemony in academia. Contextualizing this hegemony within the ongoing discussions on the possibility of “decolonizing anthropology,” I ask about the possibility and affordability of promoting publications in native languages, thereby challenging the status quo wherein non-native English-speaking authors bear the financial burdens of translations. Also, I question the abilities and readiness of major anthropological platforms to embrace sessions or panels in native languages to promote plurilogies—a term I created to refer to the coexistence and acceptance by major anthropological platforms of multiple diverse perspectives, narratives, or wisdoms. By asking these questions, I hope to prompt a reevaluation of the dominance of English within the field as well as a reflexive anthropology that urges anthropologists to seek innovative means of communication and understanding.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1057/s41599-024-03218-8

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