Dr. Elwin Susan John (MA and MPhil in English, Ph D in Comparative Literature, School of Humanities, 2008-2016) and Ms. Amal P Mathews (MA and MPhil in English, School of Humanities, 2008-2012) proudly announce the publication of our co-edited volume, Media Technology and Cultures of Memory: Mapping Indian Narratives published by Routledge. Dr John and Ms. Mathews are both working as Assistant Professors in English at Sophia College, Mumbai and Assumption College, Kerala respectively. Dr John is involved in active teaching and research on papers related to climate studies and the cultural history of health, body, and disease narratives in India. Along with full time teaching, Ms. Mathews is currently working on her doctoral dissertation in the interdisciplinary field of children’s human rights in twenty-first-century fiction.
Media Technology and Cultures of Memory: Mapping Indian Narratives studies narrative memories in India through oral, chirographic, and digital cultures. It examines oral cultures of memory culled from diverse geographical and cultural landscapes of India and throws light on multiple aspects of remembering and registering the varied cultural tapestry of India. The book also explores themes such as oral culture and memory markers; memory and its paratextual services; embodied memory practices in the cultural traditions; between myths and monuments; literary and lived experiences; print culture and memory markers; marginalized memories in hagiographies; displaying memories online; childhood trauma, memory, and flashbacks; and the politics of remembering and forgetting.
Memory studies, being a burgeoning field of inquiry in the Indian research scene, the editors prepared this volume as an introductory work to locate cultures of memory through the historical evolution of media technology in India. It has been their personal interest to bring such research areas closer to higher educational institutions like colleges in India, which is otherwise limited to university education. The volume reached its fruition with the collaborative essays written by diverse contributors like seasoned academicians and research scholars. The editors extend their sincere thanks to all the contributors especially Prof K Narayana Chandran (Institution of Eminence Research Chair in Literary and Cultural Theory, University of Hyderabad) for contributing a chapter to the volume and for leaving an indelible mark on their teaching careers. With a commanding presence and an unwavering commitment to scholarly rigour, KNC’s lectures challenged students to push the boundaries of their intellectual capacities and strive for greatness. The editors had the privilege of delving into his lectures and their research journey owes its roots to all their teachers and mentors at University of Hyderabad.