New grant for Prof. Srirupa Roy: “Theorizing the Transversal Politics of Rightwing Decolonization” by the VW-Stiftung

Theorizing the Transversal Politics of Rightwing Decolonization: Inter-Asian and Global Dynamics

Prof. Srirupa Roy has successfully secured funds from the VW Foundation Stiftung for a project on Rightwing Decolonization (with Prof. Chenchen Zhang from Durham University).

Volkswagen Foundation, Funding Line “Aufbruch – Neue Forschungsräume für die Geistes und Kulturwissenschaften (2025)/Open Up – New Research Spaces for the Humanities and Cultural Studies (2025)”
18 months, February 2026- July 2027

Researchers:
Prof. Dr. Srirupa Roy, University of Göttingen (Centre for Modern Indian Studies and Institute of Political Science)
Dr. Chenchen Zhang, Durham University (International Relations and Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies)

Description:
This project aims to theorize the rightwing appropriation of decolonial and anticolonial languages for authoritarian projects from a global comparative and transversal approach. It opens up new space for thinking about the ‘uses and abuses of decolonization’ amidst the global resurgence of rightwing politics. Extending beyond rightwing decolonization, the concept of ‘transversal politics’ will also be developed to understand other cases of ideological co-optation or the use of critical theory for political reactionary ends.