Science and Religion amongst Indian Scientists - Dr Renny Thomas

In this episode, Dr Renny Thomas introduces his research on
science and religion in India. Renny explains how his
ethnographic work in Indian laboratories allowed him to explore
belief systems among Indian scientists. He discusses some of the
challenges of ethnographic research in scientific settings, from
gaining access to negotiating insider/outsider status in the
field. Renny’s work challenges orientalist assumptions and helps
us to move beyond science and religion literature dominated by
Western perspectives by examining the science-religion
relationship in spaces and places that have been previously
overlooked. In considering the experience of Indian scientists,
Renny rethinks what atheism(s) mean in such contexts, how we
think of culture in relation to religion and the key role Science
and Technology Studies (STS) can play in investigating science
and religion.


Dr Renny Thomas is Assistant Professor in the Department of
Sociology, Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi (India).
Renny received his PhD in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi and was the 2017-2018 Charles Wallace
Fellowship in Social Anthropology at Queen’s University, Belfast,
UK.