Skip to main content

CHS organises a seminar by Dr. Isabel Huacuja Alonso

CHS organises a seminar by Dr. Isabel Huacuja Alonso

Event From Date
Event End Date
Event Title
CHS organises a seminar by Dr. Isabel Huacuja Alonso
Event Details

Centre for Historical Studies
Jawaharlal Nehru University

 

CHS Seminar Series

 

on

 

‘Radio For the Millions: Hindi-Urdu Broadcasting Across Borders’ 

 

by

Dr. Isabel Huacuja Alonso
Assistant Professor, Columbia University

 

On 23rd August 2023,
Room No.326, CHS, SSS-III.

 

 

Abstract: From news about World War II to the broadcasting of music from popular movies, the radio played a crucial role in the history of Hindi-Urdu transmission during the height of its popularity from the 1930s to the 1980s, creating a transnational community of listeners. The talk argues for a more expansive definition of what it means to listen. Through the concept of 'radio resonance', it is emphasized that radio relied on circuits of oral communication such as rumour and gossip to account for the affective bonds. By analyzing Hindi film-song radio programs, Alonso demonstrates how radio spurred new ways of listening to the cinema. Drawing on a rich collection of sources, including newly recovered recordings, listeners’ letters to radio stations, original interviews with broadcasters, and archival documents from across three continents, the lecture rethinks assumptions about how the medium connects with the audience.
 
Isabel Huacuja Alonso is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies at Columbia University, USA.She is a historian of sound media with a particular interest in radio's role in the making and unmaking of borders.


We look forward to having you with us.

 

A warm welcome to the modified and updated website of the Centre for East Asian Studies. The East Asian region has been at the forefront of several path-breaking changes since 1970s beginning with the redefining the development architecture with its State-led development model besides emerging as a major region in the global politics and a key hub of the sophisticated technologies. The Centre is one of the thirteen Centres of the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi that provides a holistic understanding of the region.

Initially, established as a Centre for Chinese and Japanese Studies, it subsequently grew to include Korean Studies as well. At present there are eight faculty members in the Centre. Several distinguished faculty who have now retired include the late Prof. Gargi Dutt, Prof. P.A.N. Murthy, Prof. G.P. Deshpande, Dr. Nranarayan Das, Prof. R.R. Krishnan and Prof. K.V. Kesavan. Besides, Dr. Madhu Bhalla served at the Centre in Chinese Studies Programme during 1994-2006. In addition, Ms. Kamlesh Jain and Dr. M. M. Kunju served the Centre as the Documentation Officers in Chinese and Japanese Studies respectively.

The academic curriculum covers both modern and contemporary facets of East Asia as each scholar specializes in an area of his/her interest in the region. The integrated course involves two semesters of classes at the M. Phil programme and a dissertation for the M. Phil and a thesis for Ph. D programme respectively. The central objective is to impart an interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding of history, foreign policy, government and politics, society and culture and political economy of the respective areas. Students can explore new and emerging themes such as East Asian regionalism, the evolving East Asian Community, the rise of China, resurgence of Japan and the prospects for reunification of the Korean peninsula. Additionally, the Centre lays great emphasis on the building of language skills. The background of scholars includes mostly from the social science disciplines; History, Political Science, Economics, Sociology, International Relations and language.

Several students of the centre have been recipients of prestigious research fellowships awarded by Japan Foundation, Mombusho (Ministry of Education, Government of Japan), Saburo Okita Memorial Fellowship, Nippon Foundation, Korea Foundation, Nehru Memorial Fellowship, and Fellowship from the Chinese and Taiwanese Governments. Besides, students from Japan receive fellowship from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.