[Commlist] CFP: Shifting Stereotypes: Gender and Sexuality in South Asian Media

*Book Title - Shifting Stereotypes: Gender and Sexuality in South Asian 
Media*

*Concept Note:***

The mediation of gender and sexuality in many aspects of media 
production, representation, and reception has been a crucial research 
subject. Theorists like Stuart Hall have claimed that media is not only 
a reflection of society but also actively shapes its narratives. While 
there are certain instances that question prejudices and test their 
limits, the media has also been known to reinforce the exact stereotypes 
that it seeks to resist unintentionally. This dichotomy shows the 
complexity of the media’s function: on the one hand, it displays a range 
of human experiences and ignites identity-related conversations; on the 
other, it juggles the tensions of questioning conventional practices 
while sometimes supporting them. There is a palpable resistance to such 
practices, where the intentional actions, representations, and 
narratives directly contradict or challenge mainstream narratives. 
Additionally, acts of resistance against these dominant discourses are 
multilayered and often characterised by quiet negotiations, amends, and 
defiance. Sadly, they have not been documented well in academia. 
Therefore, it becomes essential to re-think stereotypes in terms of 
their modifications, negotiations, and continuity in the age of 
neo-liberalism.

Intricacies of gender and sexuality have historically been woven into an 
intricate fabric of cultural norms, religious beliefs, and social 
expectations in South Asian countries. These prejudices have dictated 
norms of lived realities and suppressed resistance to stereotypes. This 
edited volume aims to critically engage with stereotypes and resistance 
to them (related to gender and sexuality) within the South Asian media 
landscape. Specifically, it emphasises the capacity of individuals to 
act, resist, and modify these stereotypes. Given the nuanced nature of 
resistance, the role of media in creating ‘astereotypical’ 
representations, such as Konkona Sen Sharma’s Bharti in Neeraj Ghaywan’s 
/Geeli Pucchi/ and Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju’s Meher Chaudhry in /Made 
in Heaven (Season 2)/, and the inherent dynamics of acceptance and 
rejection by the audience, there exists a profound space for 
investigation and discourse. One needs to examine these stereotypes from 
a South Asian perspective as the idea/geographical reality of South Asia 
shares certain common historical moments of a colonial past and 
celebrates diverse lived experiences and subjectivities. The 
intersections between media, gender, and sexuality with varied social 
categories from a South Asian perspective will engage in a dialogue with 
a large body of knowledge about this domain.

*Objectives of the Book:***

·To engage with an approach that emphasises individual agency, focusing 
on the negotiated forms of self-determination in opposition to dominant 
discourses on gender and sexuality.

·To look beyond mainstream media, including cinema, television, OTT and 
internet portals, that have received much attention, and focus on folk 
music, theatre, niche publications, community radio, YouTube channels, 
and other unorthodox media (collectively referred to as ‘alternative 
media’, hereon).

·To examine how the realities of race, age, ability, ethnicity, class, 
caste, religion, region, and nationality intersect in complex ways with 
those of gender, sexuality, and media.

*We invite submissions from scholars across these countries: India, 
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka*.

*Key themes to explore:*

·Resistance and alternative representation in mainstream media

·Discursive practices and frames on gender and sexuality in alternative 
media

·Geopolitics and Mediated Geographies of Gender & Sexuality

·Alternative Media Production: From Activists, Bloggers & YouTubers

·Gender and Sexuality through Mobile Phone

·Literary Representations

·National Identities, Gender and Sexuality

·Feminist activism in alternative media

·LGBTQIA+ movement and alternative media

·Gender, sexuality, and community media

·Non-hegemonic masculinities and alternative media

·Queer identities and media production/reception

·Gender, sexuality, human rights and alternative media

*Submission Guidelines:*

Chapter Proposal should be prepared along the following lines:

·An extended abstract of not more than 500 words with 4 to 6 keywords 
clearly mentioning the objectives, research questions, methodology and 
relevance of the study (British spellings)

·Language: English only (authors may use translation services)

·Font Specifications: Times New Roman, 12 font size, 1.5 line spacing

·Name, Designation, Email, Mobile Number and Institutional Affiliation 
of Author(s) at the end

·Accompanying document (separate file): an up to 2-page C.V. of each author

Proposals and C.V. should be sent no later than *_1^st December 2023_* 
to *(shiftingstereotypesbook /at/ outlook.com) 
<mailto:(shiftingstereotypesbook /at/ outlook.com)>*. The same ID can be used 
to contact for answers to any queries.

*Notification about acceptance of abstracts: 20^th December, 2023*

*Post-Selection of Abstracts*: There will be an *online writing 
workshop* for the authors of the selected abstracts from renowned 
academicians in the field of gender, sexuality, and media, who will 
provide guidelines for drafting one’s chapter for the edited volume.

*Publisher*: We are looking for a publisher of an international repute 
to bring out this volume.

*There is no publication fee*

*Expected Publication*: End of 2024/Beginning of 2025.

*Editors*:

Dr. Pranta Pratik Patnaik (Assistant Professor)

Mr. Mehul Agarwal (Research Scholar)

Department of Culture and Media Studies

Central University of Rajasthan (India)



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