MEDIA, IDENTITY FORMATION AND CONTEMPORARY CITIZENSHIP

The media occupies an ever-expanding space in the lives of people in creating notions of contemporary existence and identity. It plays a crucial role not only in the representation of selves and others, but also in the development and sustenance of particular identities. These representations are impacted by the context they operate in and in turn shape our versions of understanding and negotiating reality.

As a potent and powerful system, why and how do the media forge these identities? Which are the identities that matter and those which must not be acknowledged? The time is right now to explore and engage with questions of how the media, in conjunction with other markers, partakes of processes of identity formation, legitimisation, de-legitimisation and sustenance.

The PSBT Media Fellowship Programme is aimed at addressing and initiating in-depth research on how media of various kinds understand and deal with these issues. What are the ways in which programming plays out images, stories, lives, narratives that consumers are meant to endorse and emulate? What we watch on our screens is strongly grounded in the way we see ourselves and those around us, in the way we want to see the world and the way in which we wish to interpret our contexts and realities. Programmes we watch fulfil agendas. Whose agendas are these and how do we choose amongst competing agendas to put forth ‘the’ versions of ‘reality’ that must be perpetuated. Is programming responsible to those it claims to symbolise and represent?

Some of the concerns to be engaged with include:
 
Role of the media in interaction with identity markers, particularly gender and religion, in creating identities.

Agendas programming fulfils and who gets to define roles and lives. Are we guilty of stereotyping?

Why do some people and realities remain unseen?

Frequently and commonly encountered images and stereotypes: gender, sexuality, religion, images of the ideal ‘Indian: the patriot, the nationalist, the ideal citizen’.

How do we as audience relate to these constructions, as consumers and critics of the images and ‘realities’ created thereby?

How do the state, law and other regulatory mechanisms monitor and sustain these processes.

Spaces for subversion.

NOTES

We encourage innovative research proposals that are based upon varied and liberal interpretations of the theme.

We reiterate that PSBT encourages research proposals that dwell on the Indian dilemma. International perspectives and references are welcome but they should be grounded in Indian experiences.

We look forward to proposals for researches that would contribute to media advocacy efforts and be geared towards initiating them. We would appreciate if they have a strong component of evaluation/ study of content/ programmes. They must be able to generate valuable data/ information/ literature that could be furthered as part of learning, teaching and implementation initiatives.