Associate Professor Sahana Udupa has given a series of talks in recent weeks commenting on various aspects of online media based on her fieldwork in India. On March 21, she spoke at the Annual Anthropology Research Seminar at the University of Bern, Switzerland. In her invited talk on "Imagining the Nation on Social Media: Facts, Play and Politics," Udupa examined the rise of online debate cultures in India. She emphasized that social media discourses of nation and national belonging are shaped by specific political dynamics of national, and even subnational regions. She commented also on the “intriguing hold of shared global cybercultures” which she said merited closer scrutiny.
Udupa also traveled to Bangkok in March to participate in the India-Pakistan track II dialogue. During the discussions, she spoke in favor of a comprehensive policy and for the need for a more effective civil society response to forms of extreme speech proliferating on online media. Noting that online media have also led to narratives of peace and harmony between India and Pakistan, Udupa joined other delegates to stress the need for online networks that connect citizens and foster people-to-people conversations. The meeting in Bangkok was organized as part of the Chaophraya Dialogue series, a joint initiative of track two diplomacy that includes diplomats, academics, political leaders, and journalists. The initiative is co-steered by Dr. Happymon Jacob, Senior Global Challenges Fellow and Associate Professor of Disarmament Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University.