T T Sreekumar - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Books by T T Sreekumar

Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 2020

The paper probes the historical and cultural-utopian rationale behind the wide acceptability of “... more The paper probes the historical and cultural-utopian rationale behind the wide acceptability of “Kiss of Love” (KoL) movement in India that sprang up during 2015 and assesses its theoretical significance as a heterotopic social movement. Heterotopia embodies tensions between place and non-place in public spaces. In the Indian context, streets have been places of extreme social segregation in terms of caste, gender and sexuality. Heterotopia does not mark “liberation” or “confinement,” but produces sites porous with openings so that the possibilities of alternate lives remain open. In this reconstitution of public spaces for resistance, “a passion for improvisation” articulates acts of resistance in the mediated environments of post-civil society social movements that remain absorbent, always in flux, always contested and never predetermined.

Papers by T T Sreekumar

In N. Mannathukkaren (Ed.), Hindu nationalism in South India: The rise of saffron in Kerala (pp. 89-122). Routledge, 2024

Review of Development and Change, 1999

Reaping the whirlwind?: reflections on the Gulbenkian Commission Report • Institute of Management... more Reaping the whirlwind?: reflections on the Gulbenkian Commission Report • Institute of Management in Govemment, Thiruvananthapuram 695033. This paper grew out of my comments as a discussant lo D. Narasimha Reddy's paper Restructuring Social Science Research presented in absentia during the 27th MIDS/ICSSR Inter-disciplinary Research Methodology Workshop. Reddy's paper was admittedly based on the Gulbenkian Commission Report. I wish to thank the participants of the workshop for useful observations, particularly, S S Shivakumar, Ananta K Giri, Chitra Shivakumar, Rabindra Ray and Anil Mahajan. I remain responsible for the views and errors.

ICTs and Development in India

ICTs and Development in India

Review of Development and Change, 1996

Revisiting village Asia* A report on an inter-disciplinary international workshop January 26-28, ... more Revisiting village Asia* A report on an inter-disciplinary international workshop January 26-28, 1995 Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram The renewed interest in recent years to restudy villages originally studied by the same researcher or someone else has opened up a deluge of methodological and empirical questions which were once considered exhausted or closed. An international workshop on 'The Village in Asia Revisited', sponsored by the Indo-Dutch Programme of Alternatives in Development and jointly orga!'ized by the Centre for Asian Studies, Amsterdam and Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram held at Thiruvananthapuram from 26th to 28th January, 1995 provided an opportunity for select scholars from various social science disciplines to discuss these questions and critically assess the state of the art of revisit studies with specific reference to the Asian context.

This paper explores the practice of posting static visual online memes on social media by politic... more This paper explores the practice of posting static visual online memes on social media by political actors to convey messages that comment on the ruling party and its policies in Singapore. The paper presents a discussion based on semiotic analysis of popular memes and interviews with Singaporeans aged 18-24 to understand the ways in which circulation of memes influence the quality of political engagement. The results of the analysis suggest that the memes hold the potential for enhancing political engagement among a citizenry that is often seen as depoliticised and apathetic. Memes via their appearance on Facebook and other social media platforms socialise citizens to become critical of the status quo. Memes that attract youth’s attention follow general patterns of satirically commenting on the regime’s carefully articulated narratives of progress and efficiency and constructing subversive counter narratives infused with wit, sarcasm and parody.

This paper explores political actors ’ practice of posting static visual online memes on social m... more This paper explores political actors ’ practice of posting static visual online memes on social media in Singapore to convey messages commenting on the ruling party and its policies. The paper presents a discussion based on semiotic analysis of selected memes, and interviews with Singaporeans aged 18-24 about their responses to memes, to understand how circulation of memes might influence quality of political engagement. Results suggest that while memes hold potential for enhancing political engagement among a citizenry that is often seen as depoliticised, youths ’ perceptions of the memes do not allow for deterministic conclusions about their efficacy in this regard. Rather, the popularity of memes in general as devices of humour, cultural resonance and identity representations suggests that the appropriation of cyberculture for localized political means does have potential for socialising citizens to become critical of the status quo as part of a wider network of political action.

Asian Perspectives on Digital Culture, 2016

The convergence of development rhetoric and information society theories in discourses on the dig... more The convergence of development rhetoric and information society theories in discourses on the digital divide and information capitalism marks a cyber-libertarian turn in development studies. While critiquing the tendency to conflate civil society and information society, Sparks (1994) draws attention to a widely held deterministic position that the increases in productivity brought about by information and communication technologies (ICTs) would lead to a progressive weakening of the power structures that underpin the social foundation of capitalism. Sparks highlights particularly the approach of ‘new times’ theorists of the now defunct magazine Marxism Today, of advancing the argument that communication technologies can ‘undermine strong power pyramids more directly’ (Sparks, 1994, p. 38). This approach largely ignores the deep contradictions of informational capitalism characterised by increasing income inequalities reinforcing development divides, social exclusion and dependency ...

Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 2020

ABSTRACT The paper probes the historical and cultural-utopian rationale behind the wide acceptabi... more ABSTRACT The paper probes the historical and cultural-utopian rationale behind the wide acceptability of “Kiss of Love” (KoL) movement in India that sprang up during 2015 and assesses its theoretical significance as a heterotopic social movement. Heterotopia embodies tensions between place and non-place in public spaces. In the Indian context, streets have been places of extreme social segregation in terms of caste, gender and sexuality. Heterotopia does not mark “liberation” or “confinement,” but produces sites porous with openings so that the possibilities of alternate lives remain open. In this reconstitution of public spaces for resistance, “a passion for improvisation” articulates acts of resistance in the mediated environments of post-civil society social movements that remain absorbent, always in flux, always contested and never predetermined.

The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 2007

Journal of Creative Communications, 2013

The articles in this special issue thus bring together a wide set of concerns, hopes, anxieties a... more The articles in this special issue thus bring together a wide set of concerns, hopes, anxieties and analytics that reflect the growing interest in adding complexity to the discussion on digital communication in the Global South. Old and new media provide a strategic space for engaging with new objects and imaginations. However, there are ethical, political and cultural issues of caste, minoritization, religion, ethnicity and democratic freedom associated with the uses of media platforms, which are increasingly reflected in the emerging concerns on privacy, citizenship and accountability.

Mobile Media & Communication, 2015

A Companion to Diaspora and Transnationalism, 2013

Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 2020

The paper probes the historical and cultural-utopian rationale behind the wide acceptability of “... more The paper probes the historical and cultural-utopian rationale behind the wide acceptability of “Kiss of Love” (KoL) movement in India that sprang up during 2015 and assesses its theoretical significance as a heterotopic social movement. Heterotopia embodies tensions between place and non-place in public spaces. In the Indian context, streets have been places of extreme social segregation in terms of caste, gender and sexuality. Heterotopia does not mark “liberation” or “confinement,” but produces sites porous with openings so that the possibilities of alternate lives remain open. In this reconstitution of public spaces for resistance, “a passion for improvisation” articulates acts of resistance in the mediated environments of post-civil society social movements that remain absorbent, always in flux, always contested and never predetermined.

In N. Mannathukkaren (Ed.), Hindu nationalism in South India: The rise of saffron in Kerala (pp. 89-122). Routledge, 2024

Review of Development and Change, 1999

Reaping the whirlwind?: reflections on the Gulbenkian Commission Report • Institute of Management... more Reaping the whirlwind?: reflections on the Gulbenkian Commission Report • Institute of Management in Govemment, Thiruvananthapuram 695033. This paper grew out of my comments as a discussant lo D. Narasimha Reddy's paper Restructuring Social Science Research presented in absentia during the 27th MIDS/ICSSR Inter-disciplinary Research Methodology Workshop. Reddy's paper was admittedly based on the Gulbenkian Commission Report. I wish to thank the participants of the workshop for useful observations, particularly, S S Shivakumar, Ananta K Giri, Chitra Shivakumar, Rabindra Ray and Anil Mahajan. I remain responsible for the views and errors.

ICTs and Development in India

ICTs and Development in India

Review of Development and Change, 1996

Revisiting village Asia* A report on an inter-disciplinary international workshop January 26-28, ... more Revisiting village Asia* A report on an inter-disciplinary international workshop January 26-28, 1995 Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram The renewed interest in recent years to restudy villages originally studied by the same researcher or someone else has opened up a deluge of methodological and empirical questions which were once considered exhausted or closed. An international workshop on 'The Village in Asia Revisited', sponsored by the Indo-Dutch Programme of Alternatives in Development and jointly orga!'ized by the Centre for Asian Studies, Amsterdam and Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram held at Thiruvananthapuram from 26th to 28th January, 1995 provided an opportunity for select scholars from various social science disciplines to discuss these questions and critically assess the state of the art of revisit studies with specific reference to the Asian context.

This paper explores the practice of posting static visual online memes on social media by politic... more This paper explores the practice of posting static visual online memes on social media by political actors to convey messages that comment on the ruling party and its policies in Singapore. The paper presents a discussion based on semiotic analysis of popular memes and interviews with Singaporeans aged 18-24 to understand the ways in which circulation of memes influence the quality of political engagement. The results of the analysis suggest that the memes hold the potential for enhancing political engagement among a citizenry that is often seen as depoliticised and apathetic. Memes via their appearance on Facebook and other social media platforms socialise citizens to become critical of the status quo. Memes that attract youth’s attention follow general patterns of satirically commenting on the regime’s carefully articulated narratives of progress and efficiency and constructing subversive counter narratives infused with wit, sarcasm and parody.

This paper explores political actors ’ practice of posting static visual online memes on social m... more This paper explores political actors ’ practice of posting static visual online memes on social media in Singapore to convey messages commenting on the ruling party and its policies. The paper presents a discussion based on semiotic analysis of selected memes, and interviews with Singaporeans aged 18-24 about their responses to memes, to understand how circulation of memes might influence quality of political engagement. Results suggest that while memes hold potential for enhancing political engagement among a citizenry that is often seen as depoliticised, youths ’ perceptions of the memes do not allow for deterministic conclusions about their efficacy in this regard. Rather, the popularity of memes in general as devices of humour, cultural resonance and identity representations suggests that the appropriation of cyberculture for localized political means does have potential for socialising citizens to become critical of the status quo as part of a wider network of political action.

Asian Perspectives on Digital Culture, 2016

The convergence of development rhetoric and information society theories in discourses on the dig... more The convergence of development rhetoric and information society theories in discourses on the digital divide and information capitalism marks a cyber-libertarian turn in development studies. While critiquing the tendency to conflate civil society and information society, Sparks (1994) draws attention to a widely held deterministic position that the increases in productivity brought about by information and communication technologies (ICTs) would lead to a progressive weakening of the power structures that underpin the social foundation of capitalism. Sparks highlights particularly the approach of ‘new times’ theorists of the now defunct magazine Marxism Today, of advancing the argument that communication technologies can ‘undermine strong power pyramids more directly’ (Sparks, 1994, p. 38). This approach largely ignores the deep contradictions of informational capitalism characterised by increasing income inequalities reinforcing development divides, social exclusion and dependency ...

Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 2020

ABSTRACT The paper probes the historical and cultural-utopian rationale behind the wide acceptabi... more ABSTRACT The paper probes the historical and cultural-utopian rationale behind the wide acceptability of “Kiss of Love” (KoL) movement in India that sprang up during 2015 and assesses its theoretical significance as a heterotopic social movement. Heterotopia embodies tensions between place and non-place in public spaces. In the Indian context, streets have been places of extreme social segregation in terms of caste, gender and sexuality. Heterotopia does not mark “liberation” or “confinement,” but produces sites porous with openings so that the possibilities of alternate lives remain open. In this reconstitution of public spaces for resistance, “a passion for improvisation” articulates acts of resistance in the mediated environments of post-civil society social movements that remain absorbent, always in flux, always contested and never predetermined.

The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 2007

Journal of Creative Communications, 2013

The articles in this special issue thus bring together a wide set of concerns, hopes, anxieties a... more The articles in this special issue thus bring together a wide set of concerns, hopes, anxieties and analytics that reflect the growing interest in adding complexity to the discussion on digital communication in the Global South. Old and new media provide a strategic space for engaging with new objects and imaginations. However, there are ethical, political and cultural issues of caste, minoritization, religion, ethnicity and democratic freedom associated with the uses of media platforms, which are increasingly reflected in the emerging concerns on privacy, citizenship and accountability.

Mobile Media & Communication, 2015

A Companion to Diaspora and Transnationalism, 2013

The Information Society, 2011

... Goggin, G. 2006 ... method, objectives, theoretical framework, background of the researcher, ... more ... Goggin, G. 2006 ... method, objectives, theoretical framework, background of the researcher, and other factors vary drastically in revisit studies, making them almost ... gadget have multiplied several times in the last ten years, although the minimal uses of texting and voice call remain ...

Science, Technology and Society, 2013

Making use of the recent STS focus on the idea of subpolitics, the study seeks to understand the ... more Making use of the recent STS focus on the idea of subpolitics, the study seeks to understand the limited yet important implications of the rise of the political twitterati1 for liberal democracy in Singapore. The phenomenon marks a significant development not in terms of facilitating mass upheavals or radical reforms as elsewhere in the world, but in terms of contributing towards the construction of counter narratives to the historically articulated and previously uncontested discourses of progress, efficiency, productivity and success that in part have legitimated the political establishment in Singapore. By critiquing the regime’s myriad narratives of accomplishments and constructing subversive counter narratives through ‘series tweets’ that were infused with wit, sarcasm, parody and satire, the political twitterati in Singapore has expanded the vistas of democratic participation while remaining loyal to the country’s non-Western liberal democratic framework.

Media, Culture & Society, 2012

This article explores the engagement of online new media for political mobilization by movements ... more This article explores the engagement of online new media for political mobilization by movements of dissent from the margins based on a case study of a Muslim minority revolutionary organization in the Philippines. We find that, enabled by hybrid features of online media outlets, minorities use multiple transcripts that target diverse audiences and oscillate across multiple, fleeting representations, narratives and articulations. Our article supports the view that ‘infrapolitics’ (the politics of disguise and concealment that lies between public and hidden transcripts of subordinate groups) is crucial in understanding online dissent. The article argues that new strategies of political discourse foregrounding infrapolitics help minority groups to circumvent traditional barriers of political communication and alter the quality of debate between minorities, state and the international community, and challenge national limits and boundaries.