[ecrea] National Conference on Research Methodology in Journalism and Mass Communication: De-Westernizing Media Studies

>ICSSR FUNDED
>NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
>RESEARCH METHODOLOGY IN JOURNALISM AND MASS 
>COMMUNICATION: DEWESTERNIZING MEDIA STUDIES
>NOV 26-28, 2010
>
>Convener:
>C.S.H.N.Murthy Ph.D
>Associate Professor in Mass Communication and Journalism
>(cshnmurthy /at/ yahoo.co.in) or (cshnmurthy /at/ tezu.ernet.in)
>
>At
>Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
>School of Humanities and Social Sciences
>Tezpur University,
>Napam, Tezpur 784 028 Assam India
>
>NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH METHODOLOGY IN 
>JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION: DEWESTERNIZING MEDIA STUDIES
>
>Concept of Theme
>
>The need to hold a national level conference on 
>the research methods to be pursued in journalism 
>and mass communication in Indian universities 
>and institutes has been felt for long. The 
>reasons for such a feeling are not too far 
>fetching. Firstly, many scholars in India who 
>are into research/teaching of journalism and 
>mass communication, either pursuing M.Phil/Ph.D 
>or guiding others for M.Phil/Ph.D, are not in a 
>position to publish their work in peer 
>reviewed  international or national journals due 
>to several reasons. One reason being that the 
>Western scholars, who do peer reviewing of 
>Indian scholars research work (when submitted 
>to international journals), do not have any 
>grasp on the kind of research problems and 
>research questions which the Indian scholars 
>find appropriate/relevant to the Indian media 
>studies. Secondly, these research papers may 
>suffer from the lack of international 
>references within which the peer reviewers 
>expect the research work in question and 
>methods to be situated. Thirdly, in Western 
>media, there may not be problems or research 
>questions which are identical to the Indian 
>media issues as the cultural differences between 
>India and the US or Europe are vast.
>
>Further, there has been a lingering feeling 
>among Indian research scholars/ Professors, 
>guiding research scholars for M.Phil and PhD 
>programs in media studies, that they have been 
>compelled to follow the Western methods of media 
>research though India, by virtue of its varying 
>cultures and enormous diversity, offers a vast 
>landscape, rather to say mediascape in the 
>words of Professor Appadurai, to develop 
>research methods appropriate to native cultures. 
>All this contributed either overtly or covertly 
>to shroud the quality of research wok being 
>pursued in journalism and mass communication 
>departments in Indian universities/institutes.
>
>Further, some scholars in India, trained in the 
>US/UK, believe that Indian research in 
>journalism and mass communication lacked in the 
>rigors of methodology to be acceptable as a 
>standard work compatible with western methods 
>(such as quantitative techniques as one can put 
>it politely) of research into media studies. 
>Therefore a lot of research work being carried 
>out under M.Phil/Ph.D programmes in India goes 
>unreported in any peer reviewed journals of 
>repute such as Media Asia, Asian Journal of 
>Communication (published by NTU, Singapore) or 
>Global Media and Communication (published by 
>Sage) .  Some of the reviewers of these 
>journals clearly show a western bias in their peer review comments.
>
>In fact, long ago J.S.Yadava (1980) proposed a 
>research method called Sadharanikaran to study 
>the issues related to Indian media 
>research.(Yadava, J.S. (1987). Communication in 
>India: The tenets of Sadharanikaran. In D.L. 
>Kincaid (Ed.), Communication Theory: Eastern and 
>Western Perspectives, pp. 161- 171. San Diego, CA: Academic Press).
>
>In the last 18th AMIC (Association of Media 
>Information and Communication) International 
>Conference held in New Delhi last year (Oct 
>17-19, 2009), many eminent speakers such as 
>Professor Epem and Professor Binod C Agarwal 
>exhorted the need to develop research methods in 
>media studies relevant to the Indian national 
>and regional contexts. In fact Professor Epem 
>and Professor Kiran Thakur even argued for 
>focusing research on regional media than on 
>national media. Both of them expressed the 
>view that the eagerness of the media scholars 
>and their supervisors to focus research on 
>national media or mainstream media is 
>marginalizing the importance of regional media 
>which in fact is churning out more content in 
>different formats than the mainstream media.
>
>The need for having an indigenous research 
>methodology for media research (-ers) in India 
>is not an exclusive view held by a few of Indian 
>scholars. James Curran and Myung Jin Park in 
>their famous work De-westernizing Media 
>Studies (2000 Routledge) makes the case that 
>the study of media should strive to extricate 
>itself from ethnocentric perspectives, 
>essentially western in orientation and hue, and 
>seek-as Curran says in his Introduction: Beyond 
>Globalization Theory-to broaden media theory 
>and understanding in a way that takes account of 
>experience of countries outside Anglo-American 
>Orbit. (Watson J:Media Communication-An 
>Introduction to Theory and Practice. 2nd 
>edition. 2003). Prof.Daya Kishan Thussu of 
>University of Westminster, London and 
>Prof.Indrajit Banerjee of Nanyang Technological 
>University, Singapore were a few more eminent 
>speakers who advocated the need to 
>de-westernize the media studies. (D.K. Thussu: 
>13-31, 2009) and recourse to local paradigms.
>
>There are several laterals to this complex but 
>highly important issue. Firstly, media scholars 
>of European countries have abandoned rather 
>rejected the quantitative methods of Professor 
>George Gerbner in media research (Divina 
>Frau-Meigs: Media Regulation Self-Regulation and 
>Education in Ed. Cecilia von Feilitzen and Ulla 
>Carlson  in Promote or Protect? , p27: 2007).
>
>Most of the scholars in the Europe pursuing 
>research in media studies are pursuing 
>qualitative communication research techniques 
>(Euro-Atlanta Model of Research) and yet could 
>manage to produce high standard research work 
>worth publishing in international 
>journals.  They formed their own regional (among 
>European nations) and national level (country 
>wise) editorial teams and journals (e.g. 
>Nordicom Journal Edited by Ulla Carlsson, 
>Romanian Journal of Journalism and Communication 
>edited by Raluca Radu, Quaderns del CAC Edited 
>by Montilla Castillo Silva, Journal of 
>Communication Studies Edited by Joao Carlos 
>Correia, etc), which gained the international 
>acceptance both at the level of international 
>and national conferences/publication of journals and papers.
>
>Though India is ten times larger than the 
>European Union, we have not yet developed a 
>national level body of eminent media scholars 
>from different universities to constitute an 
>editors panel for a national level peer reviewed 
>journal/conference. In fact such media scholars 
>panels could be constituted even region wise 
>also for different peer reviewed media journals 
>and peer reviewed conferences.  Nor we are in a 
>position to formulate a national level consensus 
>on relevant research methods to be pursued in 
>media research. As a result of this, most of the 
>media research, barring a few, is not getting 
>published in any international journals.
>The present conference is therefore very much 
>pertinent at this time to invite eminent media 
>scholars and Professors together with media 
>academics and professionals to discuss the 
>issues-identified under sub-themes given below, 
>threadbare as to why we, in India, are unable to 
>identify appropriate research methods relevant 
>to Indian media studies at the height of the 
>campaign emanating from elsewhere calling for 
>de-westernizing the media studies. Such a 
>discussion and consequent emerging consensus not 
>only lead for an introspection of the quality of 
>research work being pursued in Indian media 
>studies but also pave the way for formulating 
>national standards in research on media studies.
>
>The conference, further, expects to form a panel 
>of editors to establish a peer reviewed 
>international journal with the collaboration of 
>Sage or Taylor and Francis (Routledge) from 
>India side. It also engages a debate on the need 
>to bring a consensus among the media scholars 
>and Professors as to the relevance and necessity 
>to follow the quantitative techniques involving 
>distributive statistics in the media studies. It 
>also acts as an important platform to discuss as 
>to how the media scholars have to overcome the 
>lack of reference materials which would have 
>otherwise placed their work in international situation/broad scenario.
>
>At present there is a great dearth of reference 
>materials for researching on Indian media 
>issues as also on different/diverse cultural 
>aspects of India. Most of the reference 
>materials available in India are largely 
>published in the West on Western media issues, 
>and therefore, may not be relevant in terms of 
>research methods we need to follow in respect 
>of Indian media studies. For instance an 
>analysis of Indian reality shows can not be 
>based on the reference materials or published 
>works produced by the British or the US media 
>scholars on the reality shows which are shown in 
>Britain or the US. In fact the Western research 
>approaches to the Internet content or social 
>networks cannot be applied to Indian social 
>networking as our social networking has a 
>different cultural ethos and limitations of content.
>
>The conference, therefore, proposes to lay 
>out  unambiguous terms for initial normative 
>research in different fields of media studies in 
>India without relying first on any bulk 
>reference materials or previous literature 
>review. After a few years of publishing such 
>works, perhaps, Indian scholars could develop 
>reference materials relevant to the Indian media studies.
>
>The conference therefore would like to 
>deliberate on the above theme with the following 
>sub-themes in the form of paper presentations 
>and panel discussions during the three days of the conference.
>
>Sub-themes
>
>1.      What could be de-westernizing media 
>studies and how to use it in terms of the 
>following research areas? Content analysis, 
>Analysis of Rhetoric and Whistle blowing with 
>reference to survey methods and triangulation 
>methods, ethnographic studies, etc.
>
>2.      What could be the theoretical frame 
>works sufficient enough to examine local 
>paradigms such as Regional Print/Electronic 
>Media ­Comparative studies on format, structure, 
>web and hard copy selection of news content, 
>news production processes, influence of market, 
>politics and others on news production in news rooms, regulations, ethics, etc.
>
>3.      What could be native methods of research 
>on Regional Cinema/National Cinema?-Comparative 
>studies in film studies in terms of film forms, 
>narratives, genres, theories and aesthetics, semiotics and cultural studies.
>
>4.      What could be the appropriate research 
>methods for Cultural studies ­Comparative 
>studies and Cross cultural 
>communication-Fashion, Life Styles, Internet, 
>Semiotics&  traditions, cross cultural trends, 
>Religion, Tourism and Travel, etc. with emphasis 
>on nation-state and container theories of 
>cross cultural settings. Application of concepts 
>of de-westernizing and internationalizing media research.
>
>5.      How should the native research methods 
>relate to Communication research in other 
>fields: Agriculture, Health, Science and Technology, Business and Sports, etc.
>
>****
>
>List of Speakers/Chairpersons (Proposed/Confirmed)
>
>1.      Prof. B.P.Sanjay, Vice-Chancellor, Tamil 
>Nadu Open University, Thiruvayar, Tamil Nadu.(Proposed)
>2.      Prof.Chandrabhanu Pattanayak, 
>Himagirinabh University, Dehradun, UP. (Confirmed)
>3.      Prof.Keval J Kumar, International 
>Institute of Business and Media, Pune. (Proposed)
>4.      Prof.Dr.Kiran Thakur, Professor in 
>Communication, Flame School of Communication, Pune. (Confirmed)
>5.      Prof.Dr.N.K.Trikha, School of Journalism 
>and Mass Communication, Institute of Management Studies, Noida UP.(Proposed)
>6.      Prof.K.V.Nagaraj, Assam University, Silchar. (Confirmed)
>7.      Prof.Vinod Pavrala, Sarojini Naidu 
>School of Performing Arts, University of 
>Hyderabad, Gachibowli, Hyderabad.(Proposed)
>8.      Prof.Govinda Raju, Manonmanian Sundarnar 
>University, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. (Proposed)
>9.      Prof.IArul Aram, Dept of Media Sciences, 
>College of Engineering, Anna University, Guindy, Chennai.  (Proposed)
>
>Call for Papers (CfP)
>
>Extended abstracts/proposals for panel 
>discussions are welcome from media scholars 
>­faculty and professionals-pursuing media 
>research in India or on fellowships from abroad 
>on any of the following sub-themes, but not 
>limited to them, in not more than 1200-1500 
>words.   For submission of an abstract/proposal 
>for a panel discussion Ph.D is neither a 
>mandatory requirement nor considered an 
>important eligibility. What is required is full 
>participation of academic fraternity in media 
>research with serious scope and concern for this them/sub-themes.
>These abstracts could be on the current methods 
>applied in their research or their illustrative 
>understanding of the appropriateness of research 
>methods concerning specific domain or area enlisted in the sub-themes above.
>
>Senior faculty members who have considerable 
>insight into media research though do not hold a 
>Ph.D or M.Phil, and emeritus Professors who had 
>guided scholars for Ph.D programmes in the past 
>are also welcome to send the abstracts/proposals 
>for the conference on the above lines.
>
>The abstracts/proposals should clearly state the following:
>
>i.      The area chosen for the study
>ii.     The level-regional or mainstream
>iii.    Which methodology is suitable for the 
>chosen area of media studies by the scholar? Is 
>it own methodology or duplication of other scholars methods?
>iv.     Why (justification)?
>v.      Does it require de-westernized 
>approach or does it fit into the existing 
>western models of research in media studies?
>vi.     Does the chosen area of media research 
>get relevant references within Indian context?
>vii.    How far the western referencing is 
>helpful for the research in chosen area?
>
>The abstracts and proposals should be sent to 
>the Convener: C.S.H.N.Murthy Ph.D, Associate 
>Professor in Mass Communication and Journalism, 
>Department of Mass Commuunication and 
>Journalism, Tezpur University, Napam, Tezpur 784 
>028 Assam, India. (cshnmurthy /at/ yahoo.co.in) or (cshnmurthy /at/ tezu.ernet.in)
>
>Schedule of Conference
>
>Notification of Conference: Oct 13, 2010
>Due date for Submission of Abstracts/proposals 
>for panel discussion: Oct 31, 2010
>Notification of acceptance of abstracts:  Nov 5, 2010
>Due date for submission of full papers not exceeding 3000 words: Nov 15, 2010
>
>Registration  Fee Rs. 1250/-per person
>
>Those willing to participate may kindly send a 
>Registration fee of Rs. 1250/- in the name of 
>The Registrar, Tezpur University, Napaam 784 028 
>Tezpur Assam India  and e-mail the copy of the 
>DD along with your willingness to 
>participate/present paper in the conference to 
>the convener: Dr.CSHN Murthy, Associate 
>Professor in Mass Communication and Journalism, 
>Tezpur University, Tezpur at the e-mail id: 
>(cshnmurthy /at/ yahoo.co.in) / (cshnmurthy /at/ gmail.com) 
>registering them to attend the conference. Last 
>date for receiving the registration fees is Nov 1st,2010.
>
>They must give the following details in their e-mail without fail.
>
>1. Name 2. Designation 3. Student/Research 
>Scholar/Research Guide 4. Will present an 
>abstract/paper at the conference? 5. Will only 
>participate in conference as a delegate? 6. 
>Title of the abstract/paper to be presented 7. 
>E-mail id 8. Mobile No for Contact 9. Full address to contact.
>
>The Registration fee to be paid on or before the 
>deadline Nov 1, 2010 to enable us to make 
>arrangements for your accommodation and food.
>
>Program of Conference
>Duration of Programme: 3 days (Nov 26, 27 and 28, 2010)
>Nov 26, 2010 ­Day 1-Evening  Session
>5.30 Inaugural ceremony of conference
>
>05.30 pm Prayer goes in to air followed by lighting of lamp
>6 pm VCs Inaugural Address
>6.30- 6.45 pm ­ Pro-VCs Welcome Address to the audience
>6.50- 7 pm Registrars Greetings
>7.05 -7.15 pm ­ Dr.Abhijit Bora,HODs Introduction to the Conference
>7.15 pm to 7.30 pm Tea break
>7.35pm - 8 pm ­ Dr.CSHN Murthy, Convener and 
>Co-ordinator -Getting Started-Warming up for De-Westernizing Media Studies.
>8.05 to 8.20-Inviting a faculty and a student 
>representative to speak on the themes of the conference.
>8.25 pm Vote of Thanks By Prof.Anbarasan
>
>Nov 27, 2010 ­Day 2-Saturday Forenoon Session
>
>9-11.30am -- First Session of all the 5sub-themes-Paper Presentations
>11.30 am-11.45 am Tea break
>11.50 am-1pm -- Second Session of all the 6-sub-themes-Paper presentations.
>1-2 pm Lunch Break
>2 -3.30 pm -- Third Session of all the 5 sub-themes. Paper presentations
>3.30-3.45 pm Tea break
>3.50 pm ­ 5 pm ­ Interactive  Session with the 
>Delegates by the Students of MJMC 3rd Sem of all the 6 sub-themes.
>
>6pm to 8pm ­Cultural Programs
>
>Nov 28, 2010 ­Day 2 Sunday-Forenoon Session
>
>8.30am-10.30am ­ Fifth Session of all the 6 sub-themes-Paper Presentations
>10.35-10.55 am Tea break
>11 am-1 pm ­ Sixth Session of all the 6-sub-themes-Paper presentations.
>1-2 pm Lunch Break
>2 -3.30 pm -- Reporting of the outcomes of all 
>the VI Sessions of all the 5 sub-themes
>3.30-4 pm Tea break
>
>5.30 pm -7.30pm Valedictory Ceremony and Vote of Thanks to all the delegates.
>5.30-6 pm Dean SH&  SS Valedictory Address
>6 pm- 6.30 pm Conveners concluding remarks over 
>the outcomes of the conference.
>6.35 pm to 6.45 pm. Ms. Joya Chakravarthy --Vote of Thanks.
>
>***

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