Prof. Thomas Tufte, Director, Institute for Media and Creative Industries, Loughborough University, London, visited the Department of Communication at University of Hyderabad from November 21-25, 2022.

Loughborough University is a top-10 UK University and is among the highly ranked institutions in the UK for communication and media studies. The Department of Communication at UoH has had a sustained relationship with Loughborough, with collaborative research projects, publications, and faculty exchanges for the last five years.

Prof. Tufte is an internationally renowned scholar in the field of communication for social change, with extensive experience of working in the academia in Europe and the UK in addition to his work with several international development organizations and research institutions in Latin America and Africa. He is the author of 18 books apart from a number of articles and book chapters in top-notch journals and well-regarded books in the field.

During his visit to UoH, Prof. Tufte engaged with faculty and doctoral students on their ongoing research projects. At the department level, discussions with the Head, Prof. Usha Raman, the Dean, Prof. Vasuki Belavadi, and other faculty colleagues revolved around strengthening existing research collaborations and exploring possible exchanges of faculty and research scholars. He interacted with the UNESCO Chair on Community Media, Prof. Vinod Pavarala and his team on issues of common interest related to community and citizens’ media and social change.

Prof. Tufte delivered a well-attended lecture at the department’s Research Roundtable on ‘Emancipatory Communication: Challenges to Communication in the Post-Pandemic Era’. He also recorded a brief conversation with Prof. Pavarala on the same subject at Bol Hyderabad, the University’s community radio station.

Finally, the department facilitated a public dialogue at Lamakaan in Banjara Hills between Prof. Tufte and city-based environmental activist groups on Civic Activism on Urban Environmental Issues.