About this episode

Julie Carr interviews Nishant Upadhyay about settler colonialism and its complexities, focusing on race, caste, and indigeneity.

In episode #35 I talk with ethnic studies scholar Nishant Upadhyay about their book, Indians on Indian Lands: Intersections of Race, Caste, and Indigeneity . Together, we dig into the complexities around “settler colonial frameworks,” thinking about what the category of settler means in cases of forced migration, or migration based on ecocide, genocide, or extreme need. We talk about writing history with a focus on one’s own positionality, how that has been important to both of us. Nishant speaks specifically about Brahminism and Hinduism in India and how these violently hierarchical structures have in some ways migrated with Indian immigrants in Canada and the US, and even within post-colonial and transnational feminist studies. We ask what real solidarity with indigenous struggles (across Turtle Island, South Asia, Palestine, and beyond) might look like in the contexts of our hyper-capitalist societies and the rise of fascism across the globe, and we locate pockets of optimism in our everyday intimacies, acknowledging that we must fight for our right to be together. People and groups mentioned or discussed Key figures in South Asian and Postcolonial Studies: Gayatri Spivak…

People in this episode

Host: Julie Carr

Guest: Nishant Upadhyay

Topics covered

• settler colonialism
• ethnic studies
• Brahminism
• Hinduism
• indigenous struggles
• solidarity
• positionality

Keywords

• settler colonialism
• Brahminism
• Hinduism
• indigenous struggles
• solidarity
• ethnic studies
• positionality

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Toronto, Turtle Island, South Asia, Palestine

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• Episode 32: A Passenger on the Bus: Rob Fitterman · March 1, 2026 · 1h 4m
• Episode 31: On Money, Lies, and God with Katherine Stewart · February 14, 2026 · 1h 4m
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