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

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.