[Commlist] Call for Chapters for Tales of Resistance and Resilience: Cinemascapes from Contemporary India

*Book Title*: Tales of Resistance and Resilience: Cinemascapes from 
Contemporary India

*Editors*: Swapna Gopinath, Neha Jindal

*Book length*: 70000-85000 words

*_Timelines_***

*Abstract submission:*30 March 2024

Abstracts should be emailed to (resistancecfp /at/ gmail.com) 
<mailto:(resistancecfp /at/ gmail.com)> latest by 30 March 2024.


*Review and acceptance notification:*30 April 2024

*Final chapter submission:*30 November 2024

*Manuscript delivery date*: July 2025

*
*

Cinema in contemporary India has been evolving in multifarious ways, 
technological innovations and the multiplicity of digital platforms 
significantly altering the experience of film production and reception. 
Apart from the mainstream Hindi cinema that enjoyed a national 
viewership till recent times, regional films have also emerged as 
popular forms of entertainment across the nation. Popular Indian cinema 
is being redefined and in this new environment, regional content is 
appreciated, new genres are welcomed, and a new viewing experience is 
well appreciated. Film production methods have also changed radically, 
with independent films gaining in popularity especially among the urban 
audience. In this new world of film production and reception, tales of 
resistance and resilience are also acknowledged and appreciated. Films 
like /Jai Bhim/ (2021) directed by T J Gnanavel, or /Sardar Uddham/ 
(2021) directed by Shoojit Sircar speak the voice of resistance to power 
in different ways. Similar films in various Indian languages, produced 
from across the country have been appreciated and evaluated critically 
for its content and form. Apart from the production of new content, 
there have been scholars and critics re-evaluating older tales of 
resistance, using the lens provided by new epistemological practices.

Culture of resistance has resulted in social changes over time and films 
have been part of this culture. Films of resistance have been hailed as 
alternate voices using innovative techniques and devices to articulate 
dissent. Filmmakers who challenge hegemonic structures have found 
creative ways to address social issues and these films have not always 
been part of the mainstream industry.  This work will look at films that 
have managed to negotiate with social inequalities and systemic 
violence, analyse and evaluate them from multiple perspectives – 
production, consumption as well as critical discourse analysis based on 
the content and semiotics of the filmic texts. Moreover, there has been 
re-readings and re-defining of older films in contemporary times, where 
the parameters have evolved from the socio-cultural shifts shaping the 
discursive patterns in the nation. This proposed work will study two 
categories of films that fall under the category of tales that narrate 
the stories of resistance and resilience. One section of the text will 
work on films produced and released since the new millennium, in any of 
the Indian languages. Since the work studies cinemascapes, the various 
dimensions of film industry will be critically evaluated, to comprehend 
the methods used to capture the stories of resistance. The second 
category will seek to re-visit older films that can be categorised as 
tales of resistance or dissent.

The proposed edited book project has been accepted by Routledge for 
publication. We hope to bring a balanced yet nuanced approach to the 
whole work, with some of the chapters reading into the visual texts 
while others look at the production and reception of filmic texts. The 
style and format for this edited text will be Chicago style citation and 
formatting.

*Possible titles and chapters*

·Analysis {discourse, content, semiotics} of resistance and resilience 
cinema of the new millennium

·Re-reading the older films of resistance and resilience: comprehending 
discourses around them

·Resistance and resilience cinema as the harbinger of socio-cultural 
shifts in the nation

·Discourses on production and reception of the cinema of resistance and 
resilience

·The narrative of the culture of resistance as created by these 
filmmakers: old v/s new

·Audience reception studies: mixed-methods approach to interpret 
audiences of the new millennium

·Resistance and resilience cinema’s addition to the corpora of culture 
studies and film studies

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