CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Singh, Sneha |
|---|---|
| Title | Ye Toh Deshdrohi Hain: The Experiences of Women Journalists Under Hindu Nationalism in Contemporary India |
| Summary | This thesis explores the experiences of women journalists working in India under the current Hindu nationalist government. In particular, it looks at the gendered expectations, challenges at home and in workplaces, and the strategies used by women journalists to negotiate dominant discourses of ideal femininity, gender and nationalism. It explores how such experiences are influenced by the rise of right-wing Hindu nationalism, along with a parallel rise in new media technologies. Therefore, the thesis adds to the literature on gender and nationalism in light of recent political and technological advancements in the Indian context. To approach this topic, I have conducted fieldwork in two parts: a guided internship and semi-structured interviews. I have conducted interviews with eleven women journalists working in various mainstream, digital and alternative media platforms. Most of the interviewees were urban, upper-caste, middle-class Hindu women as these are the groups which dominate the field of journalism. Therefore, the findings of this study cannot be universally applied to all women journalists working in India: other identity markers such as class, caste and religion are important in shaping the experiences of women journalists. This study reveals how the norms of ideal femininity and sexual respectability located within Hindu nationalist discourses structure and inform the lives of women journalists. The thesis argues that when these women transgress such norms in workplaces or online platforms, they are severely sanctioned via sexual harassment, intimidation, threats and violence. However, the thesis demonstrates that women journalists continue to persist in the male-dominated field of journalism by using several strategies of resistance and negotiation. In so doing, they challenge and rework dominant discourses of femininity and respectability. By shedding new light on these strategies, this thesis reveals the different forms of women’s agency in the Global South by taking into consideration the specific cultural and societal context. By studying the experiences of women journalists in India, I aim to capture how the lives of professional women are affected by nationalist discourses and rise of new media spaces. Key words: Hindu nationalism, women journalists, media, violence, harassment |
| Supervisor | Dr. Hannah Loney |
| Department | Gender Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/singh_sneha.pdf |
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