Media, Gender, and Popular Culture in India : Tracking Change and Continuity

"In contemporary India, as one side of the coin celebrates traditional stereotypes, the other side subverts the same image, sometimes subtly, but often radically. The push and pulls of these factors are changing the cultural landscape of India decisively. This volume critiques media representations of popular culture and gender since the 1950s and tracks the changes that have taken place in Indian society. The authors give us incisive analyses of these transformations, represented through the candid lens of the camera in films, television, advertisements and magazines, all of which focus on gender and familial representations and patriarchal norms in Indian society. The strength of this book is that it rejects grand narratives in favour of the micro-politics of daily living. In the course of exploring the metamorphosis of India, the authors succeed in dissolving the boundaries between mass/low culture, elite/high culture and local/national/global affiliations." Media, Gender, and Popular Culture in India critiques media representations of popular culture and gender since the 1950s and tracks the changes that have taken place in Indian society. The authors give us incisive analyses of these transformations, represented through the candid lens of the camera in films, television, advertisements and magazines, all of which focus on gender and familial representations and patriarchal norms in Indian society. The strength of this book is that it rejects grand narratives in favor of the micro-politics of daily living. In the course of exploring the metamorphosis of India, the authors succeed in dissolving the boundaries between mass/low culture, elite/high culture and local/national/global affiliations. Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 1 - Introduction: Media and Mediations—Representing Change and Continuity in Indian Popular Culture and Gender 12 2 - Indian Media in Transition: Recent Past and Present 42 3 - Filming Change,Securing Tradition: A Hobson’s Choice or a Dynamic Duality 64 4 - Television: Images and the Imaginary 107 5 - Advertising: Encoding Seduction 128 6 - Print Media and Popular Culture: Agents with a Difference 151 7 - Conclusion: Media Responsibility—The Winding Road Ahead 193 Index 216 About the Authors 227 Introduction Indian media in transition : recent past and present Filming change, securing tradition : a Hobson's choice or a dynamic duality Television : images and the imaginary Advertising : encoding seduction Print media and popular culture : agents with a difference Conclusion: media responsibility : the winding road ahead Index About the authors. Media, Gender and Popular Culture in India talks about media representations of popular culture and gender since the 1950s and tracks the changes that have taken place in Indian society.