[Commlist] Call for Abstracts: 2nd SCMC Pramana Research Conference: Reimagining Media: Narratives on the Marginalized and Inclusivity in the Media and Consumption Industries

It is our pleasure to let you know that the Symbiosis Centre for Media 
and Communication, Pune, India is about to organize the second edition 
of the SCMC Pramana Research Conference, on 19th and 20th of January, 
2024 at Pune, Maharashtra, India. We were elated to have you as keynote 
speaker at our first (online) edition in 2021; this time we are going 
offline. The topic this time around is *Reimagining Media: Narratives on 
the Marginalized and Inclusivity in the Media and Consumption 
Industries*. We would request you to please circulate the Call for 
Abstracts given below:

Symbiosis Centre for Media & Communication (SCMC), Pune, India, Calls 
for Abstracts for the following offline conference:

Reimagining Media: Narratives on the Marginalized and Inclusivity in the 
Media and Consumption Industries

*Theme 1: The Marginalized in Contemporary Indian Media*

*Theme 2: Inclusivity in the Consumption Industries: Structures, 
Narratives, Marketplaces, New-age Brand Philosophies*

The many emergent voices in Indian media shape contemporary discourses 
on gender, consumption, economy, narratives, race, language, caste and 
identities. Such voices help contribute to how we view and understand 
the world, especially in the way inequalities are encountered and 
perpetuated by contemporary media. In this, the role of film, social 
media and brand communications appear to have been more significant, 
when compared to their conventional mainstream counterparts, such as 
print and broadcast media. The second edition of SCMC’s Pramana Research 
Conference strives to examine the contemporary construction of 
inclusivity in both cultural and business contexts, looking at once at 
media representation as well as consumption practices. In a combined 
Call for Abstracts to educators, researchers and academicians, the 
second Pramana Conference aims to explore the role and potential of 
‘change agents’ as guides who influence the consumers’ imagination of 
intersectionality and inclusivity, while unravelling socio-cultural 
marginalization.

Theme 1: The Marginalized in Contemporary Indian Media

Social and cultural marginalizations of various types exist in all 
complex societies, including India. Since the advent of modern public 
life, many such enduring, yet historically changing, deeply ingrained 
marginalizations practiced in the subcontinent have been matters of 
significant discussion. The presence of constitutional and legal 
safeguards has not however amounted to such discussions permeating into 
the social fabric, which continues to promote socially ingrained 
privileges while keeping the conversation about discrimination and 
marginalization on the periphery. Many media industries remain 
overwhelmingly populated by privileged, educated social elites (Kureel 
2021, Kumar 2009) and popular cinema narratives remain aligned to 
privileged social groups, with few tokenistic representations of lower 
social groups.

Historically, the Mandal agitations of early 1990s and the immediately 
preceding militant anti-caste movements opened up representational space 
to lower caste and class groups, their realities and specificities. 
Simultaneously, this is also the moment when Dalit literature burst into 
the Indian literary scene as an unavoidable force to reckon with. It is 
in the longue-durée context of this gradual emergence of representation 
of caste, gender and the marginalized in Indian public life that we want 
to situate our discussion of the politics of representation in 
contemporary Indian media: including in cinema, broadcast media, print 
and digital journalism, digital content and social media platforms. We 
especially want to delve into the use of the contemporary mediascape by 
socially marginalized groups for self-assertion and representation.

Topics (but not limited to):

•         Contemporary Media Representation: Portrayals of the 
Marginalized in News, Entertainment, and Popular Culture.

•         The Marginalized in the Digital Spaces: Online Platforms and 
Social Media Networks.

•         Marginalized Groups and Journalism: Study of Caste-based 
Biases etc. and Reporting in Indian Media.

•         Social Media Activism: Assessment of Social Media's Role in 
Mobilizing Anti-caste Movements etc. and Raising Awareness.

•         The Marginalized, Media, and Policy: Evaluation of Policies 
Addressing caste-related and other issues in the media sector.

•         Intersectionality, Class and Caste: Analysis of how these 
intersect with other identity markers in media representations.

•         Marginalization and Hate: Examination of dogwhistling, hate 
speech and cyberbullying on Social Media.

•         Media Initiatives for Social Change: Case studies of media 
projects promoting inclusivity and social equality.


Theme 2: Inclusivity in Brand Ecosystems: Structural and Marketplace 
Influences, Representational Narratives, and New-age Brand Philosophies

The integration of social awareness has emerged as a pivotal guiding 
principle for contemporary marketing strategies and this has led 
practitioners to shift their branding strategies towards content and 
communication that cater to varied sub-cultures and socially 
disadvantaged consumer groups. Despite this, many societal groups remain 
stereotyped, mis-portrayed and under-represented, with invasive and 
harmful imagery continuing to surface in the world of brand 
communication, media and branded content. Presently, there is a growing 
body of case studies and anecdotal evidence that show that inclusive 
marketing practices have a discernible impact across various dimensions 
of marketing (Thompson 2021). Many scholars specializing in marketing, 
such as Licsandru and Cui (2018) and Kuppelwieser and Klaus (2020), 
further developed and enhanced the theoretical framework underlying this 
notion. Despite extensive global research conducted in various areas 
such as inclusive marketing, there remains a notable dearth of 
comprehensive research in the field of inclusive branding and 
communication within mainstream marketing theory. We would like to 
enhance the field’s research potentials through the exploration of 
connections between existing research-based studies on inclusive brand 
communication and the development of research frameworks which aim at 
broadening the scope of inclusive brand communication as a practical 
domain. The track will focus on understanding the role of inclusivity’s 
contribution to social progress and brand growth, and its influence in 
shaping effective brand communication.

Topics (but not limited to):

•         Exploring the internal and external motivation of brands to 
leverage inclusive marketing and communication.

•         Effectiveness and efficiency of media platform to communicate 
inclusivity and consumers perception of the same

•         Inclusivity in Corporate Communications, employee relations 
and stakeholder relationships

•         Role of inclusive marketing communication in Advocacy and 
Internal Communication  stakeholder management etc.

•         Marginalised groups in social and cultural space, Advertising, 
and Marketing: Exploration of marginalised-centric marketing strategies 
and their effects on consumers.

•         Marginalised, Labour and Media Industry: The stratifications 
of marginalised, class, linguistic, regions and caste in the labour 
hierarchy of various Indian media.

•         Factors driving the effectiveness of inclusive advertising 
campaigns, DEI (Diversity, equity, and inclusion) in the media agencies

•         Role of AI (artificial intelligence) as enabling or hindering 
advertising inclusivity

•         Discussing the power dynamics between communication industry, 
government, politics, and consumer activists in promoting, negotiating, 
or resisting diversity and inclusivity movements.

Submission Guidelines:

*Abstract Submission*: Interested contributors are invited to submit an 
abstract of their proposed paper (250-300 words) along with a brief 
bio-note (50 words or more).

*Language:*English

We welcome original, unpublished research.

*Important Dates: *

Abstract Submission Deadline: 1st November, 2023

Notification of Acceptance: 15th November, 2023

Conference Date: 19th and 20th January, 2024

*Submission Process:*

Please submit your abstract and bio-note as a Word document to 
(pramana.conference /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(pramana.conference /at/ gmail.com)>. 
Submissions will undergo a double-blind peer-review process, and 
selected researchers will be notified duly.

*Conference Venue:*

Symbiosis Campus in Viman Nagar, Pune.

*Contact Information:*

For any inquiries regarding the conference or submission process, please 
contact (pramana.conference /at/ scmc.edu.in)



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