Lakshmi Pradeep

I arrived at Leiden Centraal on a summer evening in 2023 to join the International Institute of Asian Studies as a postdoctoral research fellow. I was a freshly minted graduate from the National University of Singapore, specializing in the anthropology of coral reefs. Soon after, I was introduced to my cohort of fellows, who came from diverse fields such as history, geography, anthropology, linguistics, and media studies. Although our projects focused on varied topics across Asia, we discovered overlapping themes that challenged and enriched our respective research. In other words, IIAS offered us a space to think with and alongside each other.

The morning hours at the Institute were usually quiet, creating an ideal ambiance for writing. Lunchtime, however, was lively, filled with conversations and snacks from around the world. Our fellowship coordinator, Laura Erber, played a crucial role in fostering a sense of conviviality. She introduced 'Inspirational Sessions,' evening gatherings where fellows were encouraged to share their research journeys. My session in November was an invitation to think with the sea. I reflected on my fieldwork experiences in the Lakshadweep Islands, and we read excerpts from Édouard Glissant and listened to a lecture by Kamau Brathwaite. The resourceful library of Leiden University, with its impressive collection on Indian Ocean studies, deserves special mention.

As part of the fellowship, we were also expected to present a Lunch Lecture. For mine, I shared a chapter from my dissertation that explores the everydayness of climate change. My fellow researchers provided constructive feedback, which helped me develop it into a working paper. Additionally, the Writing and Publishing Workshop on Words, Ideas, and Methods, led by Prof. Anoma Pieris (University of Melbourne) and Prof. Nira Wickramasinghe (Leiden University) in April 2024, was invaluable for early-career scholars like me. The lunch lectures, workshops, book talks, film screenings, poetry readings, and inspirational sessions all provided opportunities to slow down, think and act differently.

The events organized by the Humanities Across Borders program and the 30th anniversary celebrations of IIAS, brought together scholars from across Asia and Africa to challenge conventional academic paradigms and foster decolonial thinking. Collaboration among fellows often extended beyond the institution—we attended protests, engaged in critical discussions over shared meals, and navigated the shared precarity of academic life.

For me, the IIAS fellowship was an important duration to pause and chart the next direction for my research. By the end of my term, I secured a three-year postdoctoral position at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Germany. From my new home in Berlin, I am now exploring the history of marine science and species in the Indian Ocean while continuing work on my book project, whose foundation was laid during my time at IIAS. The fellowship provided a rare and valuable opportunity to slow down and flourish at one’s own pace—an experience that stands in stark contrast to the increasingly fast-paced and productivity-driven world of academia. I had returned to Leiden in November 2024 to participate in a roundtable on ‘Environmental Crisis’ organized by the Leiden Institute for Area Studies. By then, IIAS had moved to a new building from its historic location at Rapenburg 59. But I am certain that its spirit of fostering organic and regenerative scholarship has moved along with it. A walk along the canal, nonethless, will always bring back cherished memories.

Lakshmi Pradeep is a postdoctoral scholar in the Working Group “Reclaiming Turtles All the Way Down” in Department III at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, Germany. Prior to this, she was a fellow at the International Institute for Asian Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands. She completed her PhD in South Asian Studies from the National University of Singapore in 2023, with a doctoral dissertation titled “Coral Worlds: An Anthropological Study of Island Protection and Conservation in Lakshadweep in the Indian Ocean”. Additionally, she is a project partner in co-creating a “Sea Lexicon” for the Southern Collective.