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Papers by Joya Chakraborty

Global Media Journal, 2022

Folk media are embedded with symbolic acts which communicate the ethos (social, cultural, politic... more Folk media are embedded with symbolic acts which communicate the ethos (social, cultural, political, environmental and economical) of the society yielding it. Ubiquity of new media has precipitated epochal alterations in cultural expressions, socializing patterns and global economy of the "network society". Recording, storing and retrieval of folk tradition due to new media are changing perspectives of folk culture, mainly the (re)presentation, conservation, consumption and communicative value of local heritage. Relocation of folk traditions in the new media implies appearance of newer meanings and altered functionality. Thus, representation of folk tradition in new media not only has an informative (communicative) and dispositive (conservative) function but also performative function. The ethnographic study on Bhaonathe ritualistic theatrical performances of Assam seek to understand the evolution of the folk tradition within the contemporary cultural community that mediates digitally. The qualitative study seeks to find out how Bhaona manifests in the digital age and contributes to the understanding of vernacular expressions in ever changing technology driven world. The study highlights whether new media is capable of radically transforming Bhaona and its functionality?; what are the guiding intention of the users who publish the cultural expressions in the new media platformwhether it is archiving or patrimonialization of culture; how the digital natives are using the digital culture's characteristics like interactivity, autonomy

dialog, 2021

Folklore is embedded with conventional symbolic acts providing "inter-subjective frames of refere... more Folklore is embedded with conventional symbolic acts providing "inter-subjective frames of reference" pertaining to cultural spaces; it manifests the worldview and ethos of the society. Along with other societal forces, structuring of folklore is conditioned by gender ideology. The idea of gender is considered as a socio-culturally constructed "matter of culture" that acts as an 'institution' to regulate social processes encompassing everyday life. It is a "learned conduct" that is being continually manifested and appropriated through various social institutions existing in a particular society. The present qualitative study delves into the plays of Aṅkīyā Nāṭas written by the medieval polymath-Srimanta Sankaradeva and explores subsequent Bhāonā presentations held within the Satras of Majuli district in Assam, to analyze the narratives of the plays and subsequent performances of the ritualistic theatre of Assam through the lens of gender. Performance ethnography conducted in Satras (Sri Sri Auniati Satra, Sri Sri Natun Samaguri Satra, Sri Sri Uttar Kamalabari Satra and Sri Sri Ahatguri Bor Satra) of Majuli district in Assam analyzes Bhāonā as a gendered performance that excludes women's participation and provides exclusive space to male bhakats in order to propagate the ideals of neo-Vaishnavism. The textual analysis of the narratives of Aṅkīyā Nāṭas under four themes-Masculinity, Hyper Masculinity and Hegemonic Masculinity, Femininity, and Othering and Denial of Agency to women, elaborates Aṅkīyā Nāṭas as tales of gender performances. The findings of the study critique how Aṅkīyā Nāṭas and Bhāonās as religio-cultural 'spectacle'shape gender imagery, idealize gender performance and legitimize gender relations within institutionalized gendered spaces of Satras, in order to maintain social order in neo-Vaishnavite society.

Global Media Journal, 2015

Journalism, considered as an inseparable part of any democratic set up is an institution in its o... more Journalism, considered as an inseparable part of any democratic set up is an institution in its own right. Although there are many women involved in careers in the communication sector, there is a dearth of hardcore women journalists which is why the sector is generally regarded as a 'men's sphere'. Media as a challenging profession involves all media workers to face risks and difficulties. However, lives of women are more challenging than man in the world of journalism. Unequal work status, gender based discrimination in duty allotment, poor working conditions, exposure to abuse are some of the challenges faced by women journalists in workplace as well as in field. Women journalistsoften have to negotiate with various personal, professional and sociostructural challenges, which are often less, talked about. Hence, it is necessary toidentify the enabling factors that affect women in discharging their dutiesas journalists. The findings of the studywill help inunderstanding the issues of women journaliststhereby contributing to developing policy recommendations to effectively support and strengthen the position of women journalists in media profession.

The Northeast region of India has been marked by sustained separatist insurgencies, mass agitatio... more The Northeast region of India has been marked by sustained separatist insurgencies, mass agitations and ethnic conflicts. This region has been the setting for the earliest and longest lasting insurgency in the country. Subject to ‘various brands of identity politics’ ever since the colonial days, leading to exclusion and deprivation, the region’s history of violence can be seen as a powerful manifestation of its vehemence to preserve its identity.This ‘identity crisis’ which is considered to be the core cause of bloodshed in the region, has been the subject of dissection by a number of academicians as well as journalists. The identity crisis in the region manifests itself in two major forms of identity movements – (1) Independence movements for autonomy or self-rule and (2) Movements for ousting of foreigners/ outsiders from their ‘mother land’. Like other ethnic groups in the regions, the Bodos too have a long history of such identity crusades – beginning with the movement for Bodo...

Journal Of Business Management & Social Sciences Research, 2012

Local self governance has remained the cornerstone of Indian democratic system. However, the natu... more Local self governance has remained the cornerstone of Indian democratic system. However, the nature of participation of various segments of the society in such a framework remains disproportionate. The present paper outlines the unique social capital of the Naga people residing in the Northeastern region of India who through their various local institutions of self-governance provide an emulative model of participatory democracy.

Witch hunting is a superstitious practice that leads to the persecution and death of hunderds of ... more Witch hunting is a superstitious practice that leads to the persecution and death of hunderds of women in India every year. This practice is prevalant in different parts of the country in various degrees and mostly single women and widows become targets of this least talked about violence on women. Empowerment of women and inculcation of scientific temper among the paople can be seen as the means to root out such practices from the society. The present paper anlyses the prevelance of this custom in Assam and through case study of the initiatives undertaken by Assam Mahila Samata Society (AMSS) towards rescue and rehabilitation of the victims, attempts to understand the role of alternative communication strategies in mitigation of the problem. It is observed that AMSS uses an interesting mix of awareness and capacity building activities through women’s collectives designed specifically to provide a grassroot support system within the communities.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are understood to have distinctive social conse... more Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are understood to have distinctive social consequences. It is one of the most powerful forces that shape twenty-first century. Considering the huge prospective of ICTs in knowledge society, a recent trend particularly in case of developing countries like India is that the governments are attempting to provide internet access and improve online infrastructure for citizens. However, a wide range of literature goes on to suggest that the poorest and disadvantaged communities in the world include the women folk and that there is a certain and clear existence of 'gender divide' in the ICT arena. This research paper tries to describe the researcher's ongoing doctoral qualitative research work in Assam- a state in India, concerning the access and use of ICTs by grassroots women government functionaries; their issues and challenges in using ICTs and, perceptions about employing ICTs towards social change. The paper highlights the...

Journal of North East India Studies

Witch hunting is a superstitious practice that leads to the persecution and death of hundreds of ... more Witch hunting is a superstitious practice that leads to the persecution and death of hundreds of women in India every year. This practice is prevalent in different parts of the country in various degrees and mostly single women and widows become targets of this least talked about violence on women. Empowerment of women and inculcation of scientific temper among the people can be seen as the means to root out such practices from the society. The present paper analyses the prevalence of this custom in Assam and through case study of the initiatives undertaken by Assam Mahila Samata Society (AMSS) towards rescue and rehabilitation of the victims, attempts to understand the role of alternative communication strategies in mitigation of the problem. It is observed that AMSS uses an interesting mix of awareness and capacity building activities through women's collectives designed specifically to provide a grassroots support system within the communities.

Journal of Business Management & Social Sciences Research, Nov 2012

Keywords: Naga, self-governance, culture, customary law.

Media Mimansa, Mar 2014

"The mainstream commercial media of today usually remains oblivious to the communication needs of... more "The mainstream commercial media of today usually remains oblivious to the communication needs of the marginalized masses. Media content, in this context, gets dictated by commercial considerations with little or no scope for experimentations beyond the time-tested programming formats. This renders the voices from the periphery unheard in the cacophony of stereotypical repetitive programming.

The present paper illustrates the empirical results of a formative study undertaken to find out the scope of an alternative media of communication that facilitates participation of the excluded voices. Taking the specific instance of children’s participation, findings of the present study indicate towards developing an integrative framework of pedagogy and profession in addition to proactive policy and advocacy needs."