[Reader-list] Mediascapes Seminar

[Liza Weinstein]

FYI - Upcoming seminar...

MEDIASCAPES: SHIFTING BOUNDARIES, CONTESTED TERRAIN
 
10 - 12 February, 2006 
@ Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai Campus
 
http://www.mediascapes.cjb.net/index.htm

This national seminar, co-sponsored by PUKAR and Tata 
Institute of Social Sciences, will bring together leading 
scholars and practitioners from all across India to explore 
a broad set of cultural, political, and economic issues 
related to media production and consumption.  Through 
seminar discussions, lectures, and films, we will consider 
how changing modes of production and consumption are 
enabling the emergence of new media forms and altering the 
ways in which citizens engage with media. 
 
The seminar will examine both the potentially empowering 
effects of such transformations and the repressive 
consequences of increasingly corporatized mass media.  We 
welcome your participation as we explore how media spaces 
are constructed and emerge as terrains of contestation.
 
This seminar is part of an ongoing effort on behalf of PUKAR 
to engage with a diverse group of participants on the 
theoretical and practical implications of urban knowledge 
and action. The first seminar (Winter Institute) held 
January 2004, focused on various forms of urban knowledge 
and how knowledge is appropriated by individuals and 
institutions to elicit action.  Last year’s Winter Institute 
examined language as a means by which knowledge is acquired 
and transmitted. It also explored the intersection of 
language, identity, and urban space, considering the 
cosmopolitan character of the city through its linguistic 
diversity. 
 
This year, we will continue the broader conversation on 
urban knowledge by placing “mediascapes” at the centre of 
the discussion. Mediascapes, a concept coined by Prof. Arjun 
Appadurai, describes the contentious spaces within which 
media representations are produced, circulated, and 
distributed. 
 
Sessions and Presenters: (The schedule and speakers’ list is 
still being finalized, but the following presenters have 
confirmed participation.) 
 
1. CHANGING MODES OF PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION: THE GLOBAL 
AND THE LOCAL
- Dr. B. Manjula, TISS
- Dr. B. P. Sanjay, S. N. School, University of Hyderabad
- Dr. Vinod Pavarala, S. N. School, University of Hyderabad
 
2. OPEN FORUM ON MEDIA EDUCATION: OPPORTUNITIES AND 
CHALLENGES
- Dr. Shobha Ghosh, Head, Dept. of English, SIES College
- Dr. Saradha Ganapathyraman, K.C. College
- Dr. Sudhakar Solomon Raj, Wilson College 
- Dr. B. P. Sanjay, S. N. School, University of Hyderabad 
 
3. MORAL PANICS: NEGOTIATING GENDER
- Dr. Shohini Ghosh, Jamia Milia Islamia
- Ms. Shilpa Phadke, PUKAR Gender & Space
- Ms. Bishakha Datta, Point of View
 
4. RETHINKING THE CITY AND URBAN IDENTITY
- Mr. Venkatesh Chakravarthy, Film maker and researcher
- Mr. Abeer Gupta, Filmmaker and researcher
- Ms. Paromita Vohra, Filmmaker  
- Mr. Rahul Srivastava, Researcher
 
5. PANEL ON MEDIA CENSORSHIP
- Mr. Amit Khanna, Reliance Entertainment
- Dr. Shohini Gosh, Jamia Milia Islamia
- Ms. Surabhi, Filmmaker
 
6. NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND OLD BOUNDARIES
- Mr. Shuddhabrata Sengupta, SARAI, New Delhi
- Dr. Vinod Pavarala, S. N. School, University of Hyderabad 
- Mr. Indranil Chakravarty, Comet Media Foundation
 
7. IMAGING RESISTANCE 
- Ms. Madhusree Dutta, Documentary Filmmaker, Majlis 
- Ms. Charu Gargi, Filmmaker/Researcher
- Mr. Faroque Shaikh, Filmmaker

We will also be showing “She Write” and “Naata,” two films 
produced by Drs. Anjali Monteiro and K.P. Jaysankar; 
and “Cosmopolis: Two Tales of a City” by Paromita Vohra.
 
The keynote speaker will be Mr. Shekhar Gupta, Editor in 
Chief, Indian Express. The keynote address will be delivered 
on Friday, 10 February, at 6:30pm, at Jai Hind College 
Auditorium at Churchgate.
 
The final schedule and description of panel sessions will be 
distributed in advance of the seminar.
 
LOCATION:
The Seminar will be held at the Tata Institute of Social 
Science, Opp. Deonar Bus Depot, V.N. Purav Marg (Sion-
Trombay Road), Deonar, Mumbai 400 088.
 
REGISTRATION:
Registration is required for the seminar. 
 
To register in advance, please send an email to: 
pukar at pukar.org.in with the following details by Tuesday, 31 
January 2006.
-         Name
-         Institutional Affiliation
-         Email address
-         Postal Address
-         Telephone Number
 
REGISTRATION FEES:
Although registration for the seminar is free, a nominal fee 
of Rs. 150.00 will be charged to cover lunches and 
refreshments over 3 days. 
 
CONTACT DETAILS:
 
PUKAR (Partners for Urban Knowledge Action and Research)

Address:: 1-4, 2nd Floor, Kamanwala Chambers, Sir P. M. 
Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001
Telephone:: +91 (22) 5574 8152 
Fax:: +91 (22) 5664 0561
Email:: pukar at pukar.org.in
Website:: www.pukar.org.in