Meera Nanda (born 1954) is an Indian writer and historian of science, who has authored several works critiquing the influence of Hindutva,

postcolonialism Postcolonialism is the critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands. More specifically, it is a ...

and

postmodernism Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or Rhetorical modes, mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by philosophical skepticism, skepticis ...

on science, and the flourishing of pseudoscience and vedic science. She currently is a visiting faculty of humanities and social sciences at IISER Pune.

Life and career

Nanda was educated in science and philosophy with a PhD in biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and a PhD in science studies from

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

. She was a John Templeton Foundation 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 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 from 2010 to 15 May 2017. She was a visiting faculty member of the department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IISER Pune 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 financing of Hinduism despite the nation's secular characteristic. The book was reviewed by William Dalrymple 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