12th South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference 2026
Conference dates: January 29-30, 2026
Theme: “Resilience & Renewal: Tradition, Innovation, and Media Futures in South Asia”
Location: Florida State University (hybrid format)
Conference website: bit.ly/samcs26
Contact: samcs@cci.fsu.edu
—
Here is a story about the 2026 conference in FSU News.
—
The 12th Annual South Asian Media and Cultural Studies (SAMCS) Conference was held on January 29-30, 2026. This was a hybrid event, hosted both online and in person at the Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
The 2026 conference theme, “Resilience & Renewal: Tradition, Innovation, and Media Futures in South Asia,” explored how media and communication are shaping, and are shaped by, the region’s cultural, political, and social transformations. The theme encouraged reflection on how local, Indigenous, and urban communities across South Asia and South East Asia engage with media to preserve identity, share knowledge, and respond to change. From journalism and cinema to digital storytelling, strategic communication, and grassroots media, the conference included a wide range of perspectives on how tradition and innovation intersect in everyday practice. It offered space to explore how media contributes to more resilient, and culturally grounded futures in the region.
The program included individual presentations, panels, posters, creative projects, and works-in-progress from scholars, students, artists, and practitioners. The overall Program is here.
The conference opening keynote speaker was Dr. Michael R. Ogden, Dean Emeritus, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Zayed University. His talk, entitled, “Indigenous Responses to South Asia’s Climate Crises,” focused on Indigenous documentary, climate resilience, and the role of South Asian perspectives in shaping global media futures. This talk was in-person at the FSU Center for Global Engagement and streamed online. The link to the recording of Dr. Michael Ogden’s address is the image below:
Online panels were held in the morning of Friday, January 30 beginning at 7:00 am Eastern Time and running to 12:15 pm Eastern Time. The recording of the online panels is at this link.
(Time on recording) Session
(00:00:00) Opening Session
(00:06:22) Panel One, “Journalism, Ethics, and Media Innovation in South Asia”
(01:23:05) Panel Two, “Cultural Revival, Tradition, and Digital Storytelling”
(02:43:10) Panel Three, “Identity, Mobilization, and Youth Engagement in Media”
(03:55:15) Panel Four, “Resilience, Representation, and Re-Archiving in South Asia”
We held in-person and online poster sessions from 12:15 to 1:30 pm on Friday, January 30, 2026. This included multiple break out rooms, and these sessions were not recorded.
The conference closing keynote speaker was Dr. Taimur Shamil. He is a national security and foreign policy expert from Pakistan, based in New York. His talk was “The Narrative Power: Mapping South Asian Think Tanks and Their Influence on Policy Formulation,” The talk was in-person at the FSU Center for Global Engagement and online at 1:30 pm Eastern Time on Friday, January 30, 2026. The link to the recording is the image below:
The conference also included a photo exhibit and book launch highlighting the work of Kids of Kathmandu. The photos and the book document ten years of accomplishments of Kids of Kathmandu in building schools in Nepal in partnership with local community groups. Mr. Bhushan Dahal was at the conference sessions to discuss and answer questions. https://kidsofkathmandu.org/
The SAMCS Conference aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue, collaboration, and exchange among scholars, students, policymakers, artists, and community leaders from across the globe. We are committed to supporting work that engages critically with both local and global dynamics shaping media and cultural expression in South Asia, and globally.
Please direct any questions to the organizing team at samcs@cci.fsu.edu.
Warm regards,
The SAMCS Organizing Team
Email: samcs@cci.fsu.edu
Press Advisory: FSU TO HOST 12TH ANNUAL SOUTH ASIAN MEDIA AND CULTURAL STUDIES CONFERENCE