Pawel Odyniec

Pawel Odyniec is an Indologist with philological competence in two South Asian languages, Sanskrit and Hindi, and three MA degrees in Philosophy, History of Religions, and Indian Philosophy and Religion. His research covers the areas of Indian philosophy and philosophical theology, South Asian religions (Hinduism and Buddhism), and intercultural Philosophy as a Way of Life.

Pawel's academic goals are (1) to conduct original, philologically rigorous research in the field of Indian philosophy and philosophical theology, specifically Advaita Vedānta, Yoga and Kashmir Śaivism in Sanskrit sources as well as its reception during the early modern and modern period in Hindi and English sources and (2) to partake actively in the international research community engaging with Indian philosophy and philosophical theology, classical to modern, South Asian religions (Hinduism and Buddhism), and the notion of Philosophy as a Way of Life in global perspective. 

Pawel Odyniec has extensive experience teaching Indian philosophy and South Asian religions. Since 2020, he has been lecturing at Karlstad University (KAU), offering a range of courses within the teacher training program in Religious Studies, as well as several highly popular independent courses:

• Religious and Other Anomalous Experiences: Theories, Types, and Functions – 7.5 ECTS
• Religion in Asia – 7.5 ECTS
• Classical Yoga: Body, Soul, and Liberation – 7.5 ECTS
• Modern Yoga: Religion, Body, and Health – 7.5 ECTS
• Lived Philosophy, Therapy, and Spirituality: Philosophical Perspectives on Classical and Contemporary Philosophy – 15 ECTS

He also teaches fieldwork-oriented courses:

• Fieldwork: Preparations and Methods – 15 ECTS
• Field Studies: Cultural Encounters and Area Studies – 7.5 ECTS

• Mapping Philosophy as a Way of Life https://pwl.fcsh.unl.pt/

Pawel Odyniec received his doctoral training in Indology from Uppsala University (2018), where he completed his doctoral dissertation titled Engaging Advaita: Conceptualising Liberating Knowledge in the Face of Western Modernity. At the master's level, he holds degrees in the History of Philosophy (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), History of Religions (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), and Indian Philosophy and Religion (Banaras Hindu University). In addition, he has completed teacher training in Philosophy at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Pawel has lived and conducted research in India for several years.

Odyniec, P. (2018). Engaging Advaita : Conceptualising liberating knowledge in the face of Western modernity. South Asian Studies 4. Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1255923&dswid=5439
 
Odyniec, P. (2018). Rethinking Advaita Within the Colonial Predicament: the ‘Confrontative’ Philosophy of K. C. Bhattacharyya (1875–1949). SOPHIA 57, 405–424. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11841-018-0678-1#citeas

Odyniec, P. (2025). Philosophy as a Way of Life Around the Globe: The Case of Krishnachandra Bhattacharyya (1875-1949). In Matthew Sharpe (ed.), Philosophy as a Way of Life: New Reserahc Directions. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004739147_008

In addition to research and teaching, Pawel has a strong interest in pedagogy. In 2021, he was nominated for the "Best Teacher of the Year" award at Karlstad University. https://www.kau.se/nyheter/karlstad-studentkar-har-utsett-basta-larare-2021