Meera Nanda (born 1954) is an Indian writer and

historian of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal. Science's earliest roots can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Mesopo ...

, who has authored several works critiquing the influence of

Hindutva Hindutva () is the predominant form of Hindu nationalism in India. The term was formulated as a political ideology by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923. It is used by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the ...

, postcolonialism and postmodernism on science, and the flourishing of

pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable clai ...

and

vedic science Vedic science may refer to: Vedic period * Ayurveda * Vedanga, the six ancient disciplines (shastra) subservient to the understanding and tradition of the Vedas # Shiksha ('): phonetics and phonology (sandhi) # Chandas ('): meter # Vyakarana ('): ...

. She currently is a visiting faculty of humanities and social sciences at

IISER Pune Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune (IISER Pune) is an autonomous public university established in 2006. It is one of the seven Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, and was one of the first IISERs to ...

Life and career

Nanda was educated in science and philosophy with a PhD in

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...

from the

Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi The Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi is a public institute of technology located in New Delhi, India. It is one of the 23 IITs created to be Centres of Excellence for training, research and development in science, engineering and technolo ...

, and a PhD in science studies from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She was a

John Templeton Foundation The John Templeton Foundation (Templeton Foundation) is a philanthropic organization that reflects the ideas of its founder, John Templeton, who became wealthy via a career as a contrarian investor, and wanted to support progress in religious a ...

Fellow in Religion and Science (2005–2007).Meera Nanda Profile
Three Essays. In January 2009, she was a Fellow at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute for Advanced Study, in the

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...

for research in Science, Post-Modernism and Culture. She was also a visiting faculty of history and philosophy of science at

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali (IISER Mohali) is an autonomous public university established in 2006 at Mohali, Punjab, India. It is one of the seven Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs), estab ...

from 2010 to 15 May 2017. She was a visiting faculty member of the department of Humanities and Social Sciences,

in 2019 and 2020.

Religion and Hindu nationalism

Nanda has authored several works on religion, most notably ''Prophets Facing Backward: Postmodern Critiques of Science and Hindu Nationalism in India'' (2004), and her 2009 book ''The God Market'' which examined how India is experiencing a rising tide of popular Hinduism, including

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

financing of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

despite the nation's secular characteristic. The book was reviewed by

William Dalrymple William Dalrymple may refer to: * William Dalrymple (1678–1744), Scottish Member of Parliament * William Dalrymple (moderator) (1723–1814), Scottish minister and religious writer * William Dalrymple (British Army officer) (1736–1807), Scott ...

in '' Outlook Magazine''.

Works

* ''Postmodernism and Religious Fundamentalism: A Scientific Rebuttal To Hindu Science''. New Delhi: Navayana. 2000. * ''Breaking the Spell of Dharma and Other Essays''. New Delhi: Three Essays Collective, 2002. . * ''Prophets Facing Backward: Postmodern Critiques of Science and the Hindu Nationalism in India''. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2004.
Excerpts
* ''Wrongs of the Religious Right: Reflections on secularism, science and Hindutva''. New Delhi: Three Essays Collective, 2005. * ''The God Market''. Random House, 2010. . * ''Ayurveda Today : A Critical Look'', with C. Viswanathan. Penguin, 2010. . * ''Science in Saffron: Skeptical Essays on History of Science''. New Delhi: Three Essays Collective, 2016. .

References

External links

''Science in Saffron''
publisher's page.
''Science in Saffron''
at researchgate.net. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nanda, Meera Living people Jawaharlal Nehru University faculty Philosophers of science IIT Delhi alumni Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni Indian women philosophers 21st-century Indian philosophers Political philosophers American women writers of Indian descent 1954 births 21st-century Indian women scientists 21st-century Indian scientists Writers about Hindu nationalism 20th-century American philosophers American women philosophers Biotechnologists Women biotechnologists Critics of postmodernism 21st-century Indian women writers 21st-century Indian writers 20th-century Indian women writers 20th-century Indian writers 20th-century Indian women scientists 20th-century Indian scientists 20th-century American women 21st-century American women Indian women political writers Indian political writers Indian political philosophers American women non-fiction writers

Life and career

Religion and Hindu nationalism

Works

References

Further reading

External links