PIYA RAJ SUKHANI

I teach the interdisciplinary course of Asian Interconnections at NUS' College of Humanities and Sciences. As a decolonial educator/researcher, my intellectual moorings are firmly rooted in exploring the enduring impact of colonialism on knowledge production, culture, policy formation, and intersubjective relations within contemporary society. Through my pedagogy, research, and engagement, I navigate the intricate mechanisms of coloniality across diverse realms of power. My overarching objective is to amplify non-Western epistemic and ontological perspectives, often dismissed or diminished by the structural hegemony and epistemic violence of Western modernity. Highlighting these perspectives not only challenges the provincial 'universalism' of Eurocentric thought and fosters epistemological plurality, but also offers invaluable insights for envisioning alternative modes of existence in our world. I am particularly fascinated by indigenous thought and praxis within India and their multidimensional modes of resistance against the incalculable violence perpetuated by global coloniality/neoliberal globalization.

Prior to my current role, I earned the esteemed S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Full Scholarship for Graduate Studies Award and subsequently graduated as valedictorian with an MSc in International Relations from NTU. I also worked as a political analyst at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Singapore. Alongside publishing my research in peer-reviewed journals and offering insights on global media platforms such as Bloomberg, Channel News Asia, and The Diplomat, this role provided me with opportunities to deliver lectures and presentations on the Southeast Asian political landscape at international conferences, including the University of Oxford in the UK and the International Academic Forum in Japan.

During my undergraduate years at the University of Nottingham, I delved into the educational philosophy of Sri Sathya Sai through a post-structuralist lens, securing the Best Dissertation Prize and a First Class Honours. My academic journey was further enriched as the recipient of the prestigious University of Nottingham Vice-Chancellor’s Medal and the University of Nottingham Advantage Award.