The UNESCO Chair on Community Media, Department of Communication, University of Hyderabad held a three-day symposium titled, “Studies in Community Communication in India” from February 16-18, 2023 on the University campus.
With the objective of bringing together the work of early career scholars as well as that of more experienced researchers in the field of community communication and social change, the Chair invited about 20 academics to present papers that are theoretically informed and empirically based. The papers focused, among other things, on community newspapers, community radio, participatory video, interpersonal communication, community theatre, and digital media, and explored issues such as ecological struggles, archiving of indigenous cultures and knowledges, textile and political identity in northeast India, sustainability of community media, promotion of inter-faith dialogues, gender and voice, digital inclusion, and addressing the Infodemic. Besides those who attended the symposium in person, scholars from the United States, Australia, Indonesia, and IIT-Delhi presented their papers online. Four faculty members and research scholars of the department who work in this field took part in the symposium and presented papers.
The Symposium was conceptualized and coordinated by Vinod Pavarala, Senior Professor in Communication and the holder of the UNESCO Chair on Community Media.