Research Seminar - Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems and Community Radio in India

Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems and Community Radio in India

Presented by: A/Prof Elske van de Fliert, A/Prof Pradip Thomas, Treesa Reena John (University of Hyderabad), Vamsi Krishna Pothuru (University of Hyderabad)

Date: Friday 11 April 2025
Time: 12:00noon to 1:00pm
Location: Online via Zoom and in-person at the Writers Studio (Level 6, Michie Building)

Abstract

This seminar will deal with findings from an ongoing Scheme for Promotion of Academic Research and Research Collaboration (SPARC) project between the University of Hyderabad and The University of Queensland. It will explore the political context of indigenous knowledge in India, the specific projects related to indigenous and local knowledge undertaken by three community radio stations in India, and the facilitation processes and capacity to give voice to indigenous minority groups. The three radio stations covered in the collaborative research are Radio Sangam, Pastapur, Telangana, Nityananda Janavani, Purulia, West Bengal, and Radio Mattoli, Wayanad, Kerala. While there are more than 500 radio stations that have been granted community licences in India, the majority being campus radio, there is an increasing presence of the State in the community radio sector. As such, issues with sustainability are becoming more prominent. There are also major differences between the nature and levels of empowerment and agency in these expressions of community radio. These issues and their interrelatedness will be further explored at the seminar.

Presenters

Treesa Reena John is currently a PhD student at the Department of Communication, University of Hyderabad, India, pursuing her research under the supervision of Prof. Vinod Pavarala. Her research explores the state of digital transformation in the community radio sector in South Asia, specifically India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked as a social media editor at The New Indian Express, a legacy media outlet in Hyderabad, India. She also worked as a lecturer and coordinator at the Department of Strategic Communication and Journalism, Sophia College for Women, University of Mumbai, India.

Pothuru Vamsi Krishna Pothuru is a PhD student in the Department of Communication at the University of Hyderabad, India. Under the supervision of Prof. Kanchan K. Malik, his research examines information disorder in Indian villages and the responses of various stakeholders, including civil society organisations. One key area of his research focuses on a community-centric approach to digital media literacy interventions aimed at addressing misinformation. Before beginning his PhD, he worked as a fact-checker at NewsMeter, an IFCN-certified media house in Hyderabad, India.

Elske van de Fliert is an Associate Professor at the School of Communication and Arts and Director of the Centre for Communication and Social Change, The University of Queensland (UQ). She came to academia after two decades working in research, development and teaching positions in international organisations in the Global South. Her research focuses on the analysis of and frameworks for participatory communication for social change, and models for transdisciplinary research for development and impact assessment. Her work finds application across several disciplinary fields, in particular rural and community development, agriculture, and energy poverty.

Pradip Thomas is an Associate Professor at the School of Communication and Arts, the University of Queensland. He has written extensively on the politics of platforms, regulation, and digital India. His current research interests include new theorising in communication for social change and the political economy of data centres.