Global Media and Democracy in Asia Research Circle

“Global Media and Democracy in Asia” (GMDA) is an interdisciplinary scholarly initiative that aims to explore the increasingly complex circulation of media images, technologies, capital, cultures and ideas among Indian and Chinese audiences around the world. Too often, globalization and democracy are concepts that are interrogated from a Western perspective, positioning Hollywood at the center of scholarly analysis. For example, it is commonly suggested that American media have acted as transnational engines of democratization by circumventing entrenched state interests and delivering images and ideas that cater to the repressed desires of audiences around the globe. In fact, however, the American media’s influence is only one element in the increasingly complex equation of globalization. Perhaps more significant are the ways in which media institutions and state apparatuses in Asia have been transforming themselves in response to transnational and subnational flows within Indian and Chinese global circuits cultures.

Although Beijing, Mumbai, Shanghai, and New Delhi media all figure prominently in our project, we are just as interested in reverse flows from abroad and local circulations within. For example, we will examine how Chinese and Indian migrations to various parts of the Pacific Rim— such as Malaysia, Taiwan, Fiji and California—produce unexpected cultural and political interactions with the governments of their "home" countries regarding such issues as democratic inclusion, political participation, economic status, and so on. An additional aim of this new research initiative will be to compare media forms and practices in India (a well-established democracy) and China (a country grappling with various levels of political and cultural openness). Of course, even the many meanings of “democracy” and “openness” in these geopolitical contexts will be subject to interrogation. Our aim then is to examine and compare the role that media globalization is playing in the democratization of Indian and Chinese societies. We will approach this topic in an interdisciplinary fashion, examining issues from the perspectives of cultural studies, media sociology, globalization studies, and political theory.