Political Economy of Communications in India

Pradip Ninan Thomas is an internationally recognised scholar and academic, and is currently based at the School of Communication & Arts (SCA), University of Queensland. He has published widely in areas including communication and social change, the political economy of communication, media and religion, and Indian media. He has published in the world’s top ranked journals including the Journal of Communication, Media, Culture & Society; the International Communications Gazette; the International Journal of Communication; and the European Journal of Communication along with key Indian journals such as the Economic and Political Weekly. He sits on numerous editorial boards and is an Associate Editor of the International Communications Gazette. He is known specifically for his attempts to expand, redraw and renew theory in communication and social change, and his many writings have introduced both theorists such as E. P. Thompson and Raymond Williams and concepts such as ‘contentious action’ from social movement studies to communication and social change theory. He has previously published a trilogy on Indian media with SAGE, and his forthcoming publications include a study of telecommunications history in India. He is currently a coeditor of the book series—the Palgrave Studies on Communication and Social Change (along with Elske van de Fliert). As a former Vice President of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), he is a well-known academic on the international circuit—his works have been widely referenced, cited and used as texts in communication-related courses throughout the world. This is his sixth publication with SAGE. Apart from writing, research and teaching, Pradip is keenly interested in natural history and bush walking, and is an amateur photographer and a Blues music fan. He lives in Brisbane with his wife Preetha and his golden retriever Moss.

Pradip Ninan Thomas is one of the foremost international experts on the political economy of communications and information…In this new book, he clarifies and explicates a rich tradition of indigenous, information-focused activism against the prevailing neoliberal order and calls for scholars to embrace not only critique but advocacy. A signal achievement!

• Foreword by DAYA THUSSUPreface1: A HISTORY OF STRUCTURESAn Introduction to the Political Economy of CommunicationsThe Political Economy of Communications in Colonial India: Mass communication and the empireThe Political Economy of Communications in Post-Colonial India: 1948-1985The Political Economy of Communications in the New India: 1986 to Present2: PROCESSES & MEANSThe Great Indian Copyright ConundrumThe Political Economy of Audio-Visual TradeThe Informationalisation of Life Processes: Biotechnology, IT and life as codeChristian Fundamentalism and the Media: The case of Christian broadcasting in IndiaPoverty and the Media3: RESISTANCECommunity Radio and the Right to Information Movement in IndiaBeyond the Dominant Paradigm of Communication Rights: Operationalising communication rights in IndiaIndex