Guest Editors: Gopalan Ravindran (gopalanravindran AT rediffmail DOT com) and Angad Chowdhry (angad DOT chowdhry AT gmail.com)
Subaltern Studies Media and Communications Collective is proud to collaborate with the International Journal of Žižek Studies in bringing out a special issue of the journal for writings on South Asia, either to elaborate on or critique the ideas of Slavoj Žižek. We welcome papers analysing/theorising South Asia on the topics given below (though not limited to).
- postcolonialism
- ideology
- myths
- fundamentalism
- secularism
- multiculturalism
- psychoanalysis
- popular culture
- mass media
- capital
- globalization
- cyberspace
- human rights
- post-marxism
- modernity
- feudalism
- tradition
- regionalism
- sub-nationalism
- populism
- cult behaviour
Hello people, back in action. We have finished the book, collected and edited the chapters, argued and started blood feuds amongst each other, but in the end, and perhaps because we have reached the end, we say “it was worth it”
So this is what it look like:
- INTRODUCTION
- NDTV 24 X 7, the Hanging Channel: News Media or Horror Show? - Prof John Hutnyk
- Editorial! Where art Thou? News Practices in Indian Television: An ethnography of Star News and Star Ananda -Somnath Batabyal
- Identities in ferment: Reflections on the predicament of Bhojpuri cinema and language in Bihar - Dr Ratnakar Tripathy & Jitendra Verma
- ‘Dress Indian! Say no to rum:’ Mela’s and the Redefining of Cultural lives. - Dr. Atticus Narain
- The Roja Debate and the Limits of Secular Nationalism - Meenu Gaur
- Environmentalism among the middle classes in India: locating media influences. -Deepty Shastri
- Can a money shot trigger psychosis? -Angad Chowdhry
- The Facts of Life: Sex-Surveys, Marriage and Other Intimate Truths in Urban India - Dr Kriti Kapila
- Autopsies of laughter - Angad Chowdhry and Aditya Sarkar
Published by matti.pohjonen December 5th, 2008
in Announcements, Sex and films.
We are helping a MA student show his film so plugging it in here. The specifics follow - hope to see you there:
FRESH
a T.O.M. Hand film.
…..7 days to find out who you Aren’t……
completed: 2008; run time: 80 min; filmed: mini-DV.
Monday December 8th, 7.30pm, B102, Brunei Gallery, SOAS, Russel Square.
Rose experiences the excitement, but also fear, that goes with exploring whether identity should be fixed or fluid. Set within university freshers’ week, we start with a glimpse of ‘day 7′, but then build back up to the end of the week from ‘day 1′. How does Rose cope with having her grasp on her own personality challenged?
The screening will be followed by a short Q & A with the director, plus wine and nibbles.
Presented by Sacred Media Cow and SOAS Centre of Media and Film; certificate 15 (local classification).
Hope to see you there!
Best Wishes
Tom Hand
(240584)
Published by matti.pohjonen October 18th, 2008
in Announcements, academics and films.
The new academic sessions have now coughingly started and SMC is getting out of the slow blog summer mode and back to organising events at and around SOAS. The first of these is an exciting event with the acclaimed Film Director Saeed Mirza who is visiting UK for a retrospective of his films. SMC alongwith the South Asian Cinema Foundation is organising a one day screen writing workshop at SOAS with Mirza on Nov 8th at the Russel Square Campus, Room 116. See the full poster below or enlarged by CLICKING on the image.
The seats are limited, just 30. If interested, please email info<[at]>southasiancinema.com to reserve a place or call them at 02082305765. Unfortunately, there is a small fee of 10 pounds to cover expenses but the event runs from 11 am till 5 pm so you can pack in a lot. Hope you will enjoy them!
The next art-research-practice-theory experiment/project that I am starting aims at combining game-engine-created characters (such as Spore) with scenes from my everyday life in London as an experiment for photography, graphic novel/animation and film. Call it the new magical realism of the 21st century … well, the theory here is around “locative media” and “ubiquituos computing” where the overlap of virtual and non-virtual reality is predicted to be the next evolution of the Internet. I am especially interested here in conceptualizing the blurry notion of reality between the virtual and non-virtual as an experiment in both content and form. Something close to evolutionary art but not quite. I will host some of the experiments here and, despite not being South Asia per se in orientation, will show these at our beloved SMC.
This is the first rough “sketch” v 00001. Think of the following image: trendy Londoners having a pint with monsters that I will breed just to fit the particular scene of the city I am working with in photo / animation / video. My own private zoo of dubious characters I can mix with everyday scenes from my daily life London. I used a picture from Bombay here merely because I had the images ready from my last experiments to test the idea/concept. This was done in 20 minutes to see if it is possible - the particularities of all this still need to be worked out. This will be also in full color. All comments appreciated!
Published by matti.pohjonen July 18th, 2008
in Announcements and films.
Our contributor Ratnakar has recently started a blog that I have the pleasure of promoting here. He describes its aim the following way:
Through a series of studies, discussions and comments, we intend to focus on the many cinemas in India and beyond. It seems an interesting idea to juxtapose different cinemas with distinct identities and idioms and to underline the diffrences and similarities between them. This raises the questions of cinematic styles, broader cultural similarities and differences, and also the varied industrial and business environments. Such focus may also allow us to not simply unravel the political culture of a given region, but also of politics in its subtler everyday sense.
Do pay Juxtaposing Cinemas a visit!
Published by Meenu June 16th, 2008
in Announcements.
News of a new journal and call for papers
Call for Papers
Studies in South Asian Film and Media (SAFM) is the most promising new journal in the field. It is committed to looking at the media and cinemas of the Indian subcontinent in their social, political, economic, historical, and increasingly globalized and diasporic contexts. The journal will evaluate these topics in relation to class, caste, gender, race, sexuality, and ideology. The last few decades have witnessed South Asian cinema and media emerging as significant areas of academic inquiry. The journal is dedicated to building a space for a critical and interdisciplinary engagement with issues, themes and realities of cinema and media theory. The scope of the journal will incorporate the concerns of scholars, students, activists and media practitioners.
In this era of global communication, when the all-pervasive presence of media is no more in question, an intense debate concerning its political, ideological, and cultural impact has led to a highly complex and rapidly evolving field of inquiry. SAFM’s first special issue aims to describe, question and expand the contours of the discipline and field of film and media studies. We need to ask: What is at stake? Why do film and media studies matter? What are the most compelling issues today?
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE PROTEST IN EDINBURGH!
Supported by:
Amnesty International (Scotland), Scotland against Criminalising Communities, Edinburgh Peace & Justice Centre, Campaign against Criminalising Communities, Peace in Kurdistan Campaign and distinguished Members of Scottish Parliament– Iain Gray, Robin Harper, Shirley-Anne Sommerville, Bill Wilson among others
Also,
South Asia Solidarity Group, CMC Vellore Alumni Association – UK Branch, Dr Wendy Savage MBBCh FRCOG MSc (Public Health) Hon DSc, Campaigner on Public Health, South Asian Alliance, Peace and Human Rights Trust, The 1857 Committee, Indian Workers Association (GB), Birmingham Anti-SEZ Campaign, International League of People’s Struggles, Campaign against Forced Displacement, DEEP - Defenders of the Environment and Ecology of Panjab, Hillingdon Asian Women’s Communication Service
Further information on Dr. Sen and background to the State conspiracy
Dr Binayak Sen is a renowned paediatrician and health and human rights activist who has been working with some of the poorest people in the world, in the state of Chhattisgarh, central India, for the last 25 years. As a doctor, Binayak Sen is widely respected for his unshakeable commitment to providing health care to poor adivasi or ‘tribal’ communities. He was instrumental in setting up the cooperative Shaheed hospital for mine workers in Dalli Rajhara, and has campaigned tirelessly against violations of human rights of the poor. His work has shown that the Right to Health and other Human Rights and Civil Liberties are inextricable.
PROTEST ILLEGAL ARRESTS OF HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS
Recipient of Jonathan Mann Award For Global Health And Human Rights Cannot Receive Prize Due to Illegal Detention
VIGIL FOR THE RELEASE OF
DR BINAYAK SEN
12.30pm -2.00pm, 29 May 2008
Outside St. John’s Church, West End, Edinburgh
Dr Binayak Sen is a renowned paediatrician and human rights and health rights activist who has been working with some of the the poorest people in the world, in the state of Chhattisgarh, central India, for the last 25 years. On 14 May 2007, Dr Sen was arrested on trumped-up charges and has been imprisoned without trial ever since. This arrest has been condemned worldwide by human rights groups including Amnesty International, PUCL, Human Rights Watch, several Nobel laureates and other prominent personalities like Noam Chomsky, Aruna Roy and Amartya Sen.
In 2005, Chhattisgarh Government enacted the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, with barely any debate in the Chhattisgarh State Assembly. The law, one of the most draconian security legislations in the world, makes it possible for the government to keep a person in prison for an unspecified period, without any evidence. This law is being actively used by the government as an instrument to throttle the Rights to free speech, legitimate dissent, and trample the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of India.
Published by matti.pohjonen May 23rd, 2008
in Announcements and Latest news.
We are glad to organize a book reading and Q&A with the author Mohammed Hanif. Who knows, we might even serve a few glasses of free wine for the Q&A with the director afterwards if we don’t drink it all ourselves. So please spread the word and welcome.
The specifics:
Book reading and Q & A with Mohammed Hanif
28th May, 6:30pm, JCR
SOAS, Russell Square
About the book:
“Amazon Best of the Month, May 2008: On August 17, 1988, Pak One, the airplane carrying Pakistani dictator General Zia and several top generals, crashed, killing all on board –and despite continued investigation, a smoking gun–mechanical or
conspiratorial–has yet to be found. Mohammed Hanif’s outrageous debut novel, A Case of Exploding Mangoes, tracks at least two (and as many as a half-dozen) assassination vectors to their convergence in the plane crash… the book has been aptly compared to Catch-22 … but it also can trace its lineage to Don DeLillo… and Kafka’s The Trial, with its paranoid-but-true take on pathological bureaucracy. Recent events pushing Pakistan into the worst kind of headlines make A Case of Exploding Mangoes a timely and entertaining read… –Jon Foro”
Published by Meenu May 19th, 2008
in Announcements, Theory, conferences and films.
This announcement comes from Prof. Laura Mulvey.
Geographies of Film Theory
A two day international conference. A collaboration between the Screen Studies Group and the Institute for German and Romance Studies at
Birkbeck College, University of London, 43 Gordon Square, London WC1
26-28 June 2008
Jean Epstein’s, 1947 Le Tempestaire
Key note speakers: Francesco Casetti , Mikhail Iampolski, Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Soyoung Kim.
This international conference investigates the intellectual origins of film theory and its global diffusion. It will open by tracing the contexts in which film theory was first articulated (between disciplines, national borders and in a close relation to the politics of modernity) in Europe during the early twentieth century. The conference will then examine the ways in which film theory traveled in key non-European, cultural and political contexts during the second half of the twentieth century, particularly its new configurations, translations and its re-politicisation.
For more details see: http://igrs.sas.ac.uk/events/conference/conf_geographies.htm or download the registration HERE.
Published by Meenu April 8th, 2008
in Announcements, documentary and films.
Some of you in London may want to come by and see this. The film Nar Narman is showing tomorrow (9th April, 18:10 pm, NFT3, £8.60/£5.25) as part of the BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. Read on for the synopsis.
Synopsis:
Nar Narman is a short documentary on the life of Pakistani poet, Iftikhar Naseem who lives in Chicago. The celebrated poet is regarded as Urdu language’s first gay poet of modern times. Along with his poetry, Ifti, as he is known among his friends, has been actively involved in the civil rights movement in United States. Recently Ifti has been inducted into the Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Hall of fame. Though recognized as one of Urdu’s finest poets, Iftikhar Naseem’s flamboyance and his views on sexuality have landed him in controversy. In this film he talks about his journey from Pakistan of the 1970s to the US, his sexuality, undying love for Pakistan and more.
Credits
Directed by:
Mazhar Zaidi
Camera
Meenu Gaur
Research & Interviews:
Hasan Mujtaba
Sound & Editing:
Nofil Naqvi
Duration:
22 minutes
Year of Production
2007
Format:
DV
Produced by:
BBC Urdu
I’ve been teaching and working at the academic knowledge-factory now for the past 6 months or so. I have been given a lot of insight into how the political-libidinal economy of knowledge works globally - in both good and bad. Could say much more here, but, in the spirit of true surya-namaskar-happy-smile positivism, instead of bitching I shall give you a good link to a lot of the issues that I have been thinking about. The following book addresses some of the interesting issues behind this bizarre and strange thing called learning/teaching. And what’s best you can get it for free without stealing it (which sometimes is less fun unfortunately). The book self-describes itself the following way:
In the digital world of learning there is a progressive transformation from the institutionalized and individualized forms of learning to open learning and collaboration. The book provides a critical view on the use of new technologies and learning practices in furthering socially just futures, while at the same time paying critical attention to the constants, or “unmoved movers†of the information society development; the West and Capitalism. The essential issue in the Wikiworld is one of freedom – levels and kinds of freedom. Our message is clear: we write for the radical openness of education for all.
Published by Meenu March 25th, 2008
in Announcements.
A friend brings us the news of INTERJUNCTION and an invitation to participate, contribute, eavesdrop on conversations… at the crossroads of media and academia. From Rohit Chopra, one of the editors of the publication…
Dear Friends,
We are pleased to announce the launch of Interjunction, http://interjunction.org , an innovative online publication that
seeks to facilitate thought-provoking and engaging conversations between the worlds of media and academia.
Interjunction brings you essays, news, views, reviews, and interviews on a variety of media-related subjects: from ethics to media effects to education. Interjunction is a bridge across media and academia. At its simplest, it is a multi-blog. At its best, a full-fledged newszine on issues of interest to media professionals and academics.
We also see it as a networking tool, a forum that puts journalists and academicians in touch.
We invite you read, comment on, and contribute to Interjunction. You can read more about our objectives at
 http://interjunction.org/about-interjunction/
With thanks and regards
Chindu Sreedharan and Rohit Chopra
Editors, Interjunction, http://interjunction.org
Â
Our guest writer, and India’s first graphic novelist, Sarnath Banerjee is having an exhibition. Its a first for the Indian art scene, methinks - comics on walls that cost a lot! whoa. We’ve come a long way from ACKatha …
When an 1200 horse power Mercury Marine outboard engine is fitted to a old fishing trawler, the ancient vessel eventually assumes the speed that the engine promises, however, somewhere in the high sea, cracks appear on its hull.
“Tito years” is a series of graphic commentaries that examine these cracks. The drawings and texts forensically re-examines the near past of vanishing objects, people, society and trades.
With globalisation, the local universe is transforming. Liberalisation has forced the government to step aside from its traditional parental role, and allow the Indian middle-
class to find its own solutions. India is a fast capitalising society which suffers bipolar disorder. There are losers and winners of this system. Some are outwitted by the change, such as the manufacturer of skin ointments while others like Manevendra Pahwa the real estate agent, have gained.
These mini visual essays, in a value neutral way, archives the changing urban mythologies, without the mandatory breast-beating of a lamenting nostalgist.
Haha. I hate to do this, but we beat wired magazine to it. Sure they are more prestigious and get a gajillion hits an hour, but whose nose is on the ground here? Anyway, the point to this post is to congratulate our guest writer, Algomantra labs inc, for getting such kick ass recognition. It’s a great start for parabOxx! Congratulations.
Published by matti.pohjonen November 25th, 2007
in Announcements, films and kashmir.
**UPDATE**
The film is available from here.
All, if you were wondering what the hell we were doing with Royal Holloway, worry not. Here is our planned second showing of Jashn-e-Azadi (written and directed by Sanjay Kak) at our home base at SOAS. It all about getting the word out. So the specs for the second showing are as follows: Khalili Lecture Theatre, Russell Square, 7th December, 6pm onwards. The director will be present at the screening and Prof. Sumantra Bose will be moderating the discussion on the film after the screening. A synopsis of the film, introduction to the director and Press Reviews of the film right after the poster. You can see more about the other screening in our previous posting HERE. Also the slightly re-designed poster can be found below if you don’t feel like scrolling down …
SYNOPSIS
Jashn-e-Azadi
(How we celebrate freedom)
Published by matti.pohjonen November 23rd, 2007
in Announcements and films.
**UPDATE**
The film is available from here.
All. After some silence on the film front, we are glad to announce we are back to our old dog habits. The next in the line of our controversial and exciting film showings is the documentary Jashn-e-Azadi by Sanjay Kak. If you have not heard about this film, its managed to stir quite a lot of controversy in the recent years. Here is the poster for it I designed if you are interested in this kind of visual stuff.
The director, Sanjay Kak’s, reads:
Sanjay Kak is an independent documentary film-maker whose recent work reflects his interests in ecology, alternatives and resistance politics. His films Words on Water (about the struggle against large dams in the Narmada valley in central India), and In the forest hangs a bridge (about the Adi tribe in Arunachal, north-east India, gathering to build a 1000 ft long bridge of cane and bamboo), have been widely screened both in India and abroad. Words on Water (2003) won Best Long Film prize at the Internacional Festival of Environmental Film & Video, Brazil. In the forest hangs a bridge (1999) received the “Golden Lotus” for Best Documentary Film at the 1999 National Film Awards in India. The film also won the “Asian Gaze” Award at the Pusan Short Film Festival, Korea.
Published by Meenu November 16th, 2007
in Announcements and Pakistan.
Rally - 18th November, Sunday
Infront of Pakistan High Commission
Lowndes Square, London
12 noon.
Speakers: Jemima Khan, George Galloway, Shahbaz Sharif, M Sarwar
Published by Angad Chowdhry November 16th, 2007
in Announcements and Uncategorized.
So, we have done a year now. And what a year it has been. We started off with cautious optimism by Matti, followed by a series of posts by Som. His first one, haha, I remember it well. He told us whenever he was opening batsman he messed up, but promised us that this was going to be his revenge on academia (you might remember it as his opening salvo against the contemporary media scene as well. As evidenced by the early posts tagged under Som’s Blog - before he began working as a commentator on Monday Metro Now). Speaking of which, I remember in our earlier discussions, Matti and I wanted to begin organizing SMC navigation through Tag Clouds, which were messed up because the biggest tag was - you guessed it - Som’s Blog). (Un)Fortunately, Som very quickly ran into a crisis - and he hated having it, but he was being honest - why the hell is no one commenting? Of course, being the good Leftie, he hid his crisis under a strong dollop of media critique. I think Meenu’s first post was a review of Mulvey’s book and it was a significant step for us because - for the first time - we got another blogger commenting on it. A theory blogger, no less. So it was quite exciting. Anything was possible. My first post was something about change and media effect and - quite honestly - was very excited with Som left me a comment. My first comment on SMC!
Here is a new blog called Academics for Freedom. Do check it out. Thanks to Masala Chai for the link.
Nomenclature is important here. This word, “emergency”, is being shoved down our throats to confuse us into thinking that what General Musharaff has done may be just a little less “unconstitutional” than it actually is. Yes, it is correct that the Constitution recognizes the word “emergency” and if certain conditions exist a “proclamation of emergency”, with limited consequences, may be made under the Constitution but in no case does the Constitution permit its own blanket suspension and it admits of no situation in which an army chief who is no more than the equivalent of a Grade 22 civil servant, may have a role in the governance of the country.
…
So the only “Emergency” on November 3 was Musharaff’s own because it appeared certain that the Supreme Court would throw out his illegal and indefensible candidacy for President. What he has imposed on us as a result of this personal emergency is Martial Law. This is not a “sort” of Martial Law or “almost” “Martial Law”. It is Martial Law, full and complete, because that is what it is when an army general says “I decide”.
Published by Angad Chowdhry November 15th, 2007
in Announcements and Latest news.
Yes, I could not believe it either. All of you, please send your name, address, bank details and mother’s maiden name to this email address! I could not believe it when I got this email in the morning!
Attention:
How are you today? Hope all is well with you and family?,You may not understand why this mail came to you.
We have been having a meeting for the passed 7 months which ended 2 days ago with the then secretary to the UNITED NATIONS.This email is to all the people that have been scammed in any part of the world, the UNITED NATIONS have agreed to compensate them with the sum of US$ 100,000. This includes every foriegn contractors that may have not received their contract sum, and people that have had an unfinished transaction or international businesses that failed due to Government probelms etc.We found your name in our list and that is why we are contacting you, this have been agreed upon and have been signed.
Ever heard the joke about many hands making light work?
DJ Fadereu has been working for a few epochs (which could mean minutes, or even months, given his self representations) on a new way of communicating with his machine. Now I did not see the parab0xx demo, but I saw a previous version of it. In that one the contents of your monitor are projected on a wall. Like a movie theater or a power point slide show in an office. The user’s hand movements in front of this screen can control the computer. So its basically light being used as an input device - or light mediation - rather than keyboards or mice.
The beautiful demo of parab0xx is quite a shock. In it DJ uses light, paper, candles to remix music on his computer. And other things. Of course these are just representations of the basic architecture of the interface, and can be used for many many things. It is important to remember that this was made using Python 2.5, windows XP and an old webcam (for about Rs. 250 (USD 4), I think).
Published by Meenu November 9th, 2007
in Announcements and Pakistan.
DEMONSTRATION
Against the Imposition of Martial Rule in Pakistan
Stop Martial Rule in Pakistan!
Release all political prisoners now!
Restore the Judiciary!
Restore Democracy!
2pm
Saturday 10th November
Opposite 10 Downing Street
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