“Celebrating Voices”
The 11th Annual South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference 2025
January 30-31, 2025
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA (and online)
Call for papers for individual presentations and panel proposals
Conference Theme: “Celebrating Voices”
The 11th annual South Asian Media and Cultural Studies (SAMCS) conference will delve into the intersection of communication, a culture-centered approach, and innovations in empowering communities and amplifying underrepresented and indigenous voices in South Asia, and worldwide. We invite proposals for presentation at this year’s conference. Presenters and participants will engage in in-depth and enriching conversations, gain access to a plethora of media and cultural studies and resources focused on South Asia, and cultivate collaboration opportunities.
Through this year’s theme of “Celebrating Voices,” we seek to foster a sustainable and responsive partnership in the region, uniting research, practitioners, and community experts to help chart the course in the media and cultural studies and practices in South Asia. The journey toward sustainable and inclusive development in South Asian requires ongoing commitment from educators, learners, and practitioners. Through engaging presentations, discussions, and shared experiences, this year’s conference aims to spark new ideas and conversations that celebrate and amplify underrepresented voices in South Asia, and beyond.
Proposals were due by October 30, 2024 at bit.ly/samcs25. We are no longer accepting submissions. We will inform the authors of papers of the results of the proposal review and if papers are accepted for presentation by November 15, 2024.
Opening Keynote (early evening of Thursday, January 30, 2025)
Maher Nasser, Director of Outreach in the United Nations Department of Global Communications
Maher Nasser has over 36 years of work experience in the United Nations System during which he has worked in Amman, Cairo, Dubai, Gaza, New York and Vienna. He is currently the Director of Outreach in the United Nations Department of Global Communications. Maher leads the Department’s engagement with civil society, academia, sports / football and the creative community, including the advertising industry and was recently appointed as the Commissioner-General of the United Nations at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan. Maher Nasser is a reluctant runner and is married with three grown children.
Twitter: @MaherNasserUN
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahernasser/
Closing Keynote (1:00 pm ET, Friday, January 31, 2025):
Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute
Farwa Aamer is the Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) in New York where she oversees the institute’s policy work and projects in South Asia.
Prior to ASPI, Farwa worked at the Stimson Center where she led research on the security, political, and socio-economic dimensions of transboundary river governance in the Himalayan region. Through her work, Farwa has organized and convened high-level Track II dialogues and discussions designed to facilitate greater inter-and intra-regional cooperation on issues and opportunities concerning water, energy, climate change, and sustainable development in South Asia, MENA, and Central Asia. Farwa also worked on highlighting the disproportionate impacts of climate change and water insecurity on women. From 2017 to 2021, Farwa was with the EastWest Institute (EWI) and served as the Director of the South Asia program. At EWI, Farwa worked on promoting non-traditional channels of diplomacy and establishing multi-stakeholder platforms for shared economic, financial, and geopolitical interests by bringing together policy shapers, media influencers, thought leaders, and business experts from within South Asia and across the globe.
About the SAMCS Conference:
The South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference is an alliance of scholars, academicians, and practitioners dedicated to fostering greater understanding of the region’s global importance. The annual conference is held at the Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL.
Contact samcs@cci.fsu.edu for more information.
The conference registration form is below.
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“Digital for Good”: 10th Anniversary of the South Asian Media and Cultural Studies (SAMCS) Conference
February 2, 2024
Virtual and In-person Sessions, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL – USA
Live Stream Link for conference panels (7:45 am-1:30 pm ET): https://youtube.com/live/iahEjjOLtrI?feature=share
Live Stream Link for Keynote Address (5:30 pm ET) (Dr. Adil Najam): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGl4Z_p_SaI
Detailed Program Link: bit.ly/samcs24program
Celebrating 10 years of the SAMCS conference
The South Asian Media and Cultural Studies (SAMCS) conference, a leading global platform for the researchers, academicians, and practitioners that actively contribute to the advancements of the media and cultural research, policies, and practices in the subcontinent, celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2024. In celebration of our first ten years, we hosted a conference around the theme of “Digital for Good” from the South Asian media and cultural studies’ perspectives.
Our Organizing Committee and Partners for 2024 (please see attachment)
This Year’s Theme: “Digital for Good”
Digital platforms are crucial tools that have transformed social, cultural, and political interactions in the region. Digital media and communication technologies connect concerned citizens on issues that matter. Platforms help the local governments and global agencies such as the United Nations to inform and engage people directly as they strive for peace, sustainability, and equality within and across the South Asian nations. Digital technologies such as social media, live streaming platforms, online gaming, and generative AI-based tools (e.g., ChatGPT) have given people hope in times of crisis and struggle, amplified voices that were previously unheard, and breathed life into global and regional movements. The challenges facing the subcontinent can be addressed through stronger regional cooperation, which is made possible by digital technologies. Information integrity among the South Asian countries can help fight the dark side of the digital ecosystem such as disinformation, misinformation, and hate speech. Digital has helped mobilize support for the sustainable development goals, often proving to be positive forces for inclusion and participation in public life. Digital platforms have connected communities, including a vast array of researchers, practitioners and activists working to make the South Asian region a better place. Under the theme of “Digital for Good,” the tenth annual SAMCS conference provided a collaborative platform to scholars and practitioners for discussing the way forward to achieve a sustainable and inclusive future for South Asia.
To stay updated about the call for papers for upcoming years and other conference updates, visit our website: bit.ly/samcs24
About SAMCS Conference:
The South Asian Media and Cultural Studies conference is an alliance of scholars, academicians, and practitioners dedicated to fostering a greater understanding of the region’s global importance. The conference encourages scholars working in relevant areas to attend and reflect upon the field. The first SAMCS conference was organized in 2015 and it has been growing in popularity and size ever since. Over the years, the conference has developed into a unique hybrid event that involves in-person as well as virtual participation by scholars and practitioners from different parts of the South Asian region.
Follow us on social media for more updates:
Facebook: facebook.com/samcsfsu
Twitter: twitter.com/samcsfsu
Instagram: instagram.com/samcsfsu
YouTube: bit.ly/samcsyoutube
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#OneSouthAsia: From Crisis to Resilience
9th Annual South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference
(February 2-4, 2023, face-to-face and virtual format)
The conference program is here: bit.ly/samcs23program
The 9th Annual Conference of South Asian Media and Communication Studies (SAMCS) conference was held on February, 2-4, 2023. It focused on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals #16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, which promotes sustainability by supporting social justice, improved infrastructure, and an end to conflicts in countries around the world.
Under the theme of “#OneSouthAsia: From Crisis to Resilience”, the 9th Annual South Asian Media and Cultural Studies conference discussed the challenges that the region grapples with, and explored how media landscape, communication culture, and digital technologies can help to recover regional resilience.
We began with a keynote address by Mr. Rob Smith on February 2, 2023, as part of the Ruth K. and Shepard Broad International Lecture series and the Engage Your World series. His talk “Moving Beyond GDP: Telling the Real Story of National Progress. Broad Lectureship Feb 2023
Conference panels took place virtually in the mornings of Friday, February 3 and Saturday, February 4 beginning at 9:00 am Eastern Time. Links to the recordings are above
We will soon begin planning for the 2024 10th annual conference, and will post information on this page as it becomes available.
About the SAMCS Annual Conference:
The South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference (SAMCS) is an alliance of scholars, academicians, and practitioners dedicated to fostering greater understanding of the region’s global importance. The annual conference is held at the Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL. We are glad to partner with the Department of Media Studies, CHRIST (Deemed to be University) Bangalore, India for the annual conference.
Follow us on social media for more updates:
Facebook: facebook.com/samcsfsu
Twitter: twitter.com/samcsfsu
Instagram: instagram.com/samcsfsu
YouTube: bit.ly/samcsyoutube
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“Imagining Futures”
February 10-11, 2022, Online
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
The 8th South Asian Media and Cultural Studies conference was held on the mornings of February 10-11, 2022. The conference was a virtual event this year. Prerecorded research presentations were available online beginning February 5, a live streamed keynote talk was held on February 10, and live-streamed roundtable discussions were held on February 10 and February 11. The conference schedule, which includes panel outlines, paper titles and abstracts, links to the pre-recorded presentations, and live stream links, is available in pdf format here: SAMCS 2022 – Conference Program and Schedule
The DAY 1 YouTube Live Link for Thursday, February 10, 2022 is: https://youtu.be/dBzP_rnsGsA
The DAY 2 YouTube Live Link for Friday, February 11, 2022 is: https://youtu.be/jCjY8senZ
We assembled prerecorded research presentations this year (links in the conference program above), and encouraged participants to view and comment on these video presentations in the days before the live conference meetings. The themes arising from these presentations formed the basis of our discussions at the roundtables on Thursday, February 10, and Friday, February 11. A note about the conference format is in pdf form here: SAMCS 2022_Conference Format
The keynote address, “Disinformation: Shaping The Future Landscape,” featuring Dr. Mariam Shaikh and Ms. Saima Saleem, was held Thursday, February 10 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. and is available at the livestream link above for Day 1. The keynote poster is here: Spring 2022_Disinformation_ShapingTheFutureLandscape
We want to thank the members of our organizing committee and our conference partners, who are listed here: Organizing Committee and Partners SAMCS 2022-1
Please contact samcs@cci.fsu.edu, if you have any questions.
About the SAMCS Annual Conference:
The South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference (SAMCS) is an alliance of scholars, academicians, and practitioners dedicated to fostering greater understanding of the region’s global importance. The annual conference is held at the Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL. We are glad to partner with the Department of Media Studies, CHRIST (Deemed to be University) Bangalore, India for the annual conference.
Facebook: facebook.com/samcsfsu
Twitter: twitter.com/samcsfsu
Instagram: instagram.com/samcsfsu
YouTube: bit.ly/samcsyoutube
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Previous conferences are listed in reverse chronological order below.
“South Asia: Beyond Borders”
The 7th South Asian Media & Cultural Studies Conference 2021
February 4-6, 2021
SAMCS 2021 Conference Program (link)
The 7th South Asian Media & Cultural Studies Conference (SAMCS) was held on February 4-6, 2021. It was a virtual conference in 2021.
The conference was live streamed on YouTube Live. Please find below the YouTube Live links for all the three days, which are now posted as recordings. The times for each panel are here: SAMCS 2021 program with youtube links
DAY 1: Thursday, February 4, 2021 (8:00 am to 1:00 pm eastern time)
DAY 2: Friday, February 5, 2021 (8:00 am to 1:15 pm eastern time)
DAY 3: Saturday, February 6, 2021 (8:00 am to 1:15 pm eastern time)
The conference was held during the mornings in North America over three days, beginning at 8:00 Eastern Time each day. This timing, and the virtual conference format, enabled scholars and practitioners in South Asia and Europe to present their work and network with their peers from other parts of the world.
In 2021 we were glad to partner with the Department of Media Studies, CHRIST (Deemed to be University) Bangalore, India in the conference. CHRIST University runs an important annual conference, Media Meet, each year, and held its 11th annual conference in August 2020.
The theme for this year’s SAMCS conference was “South Asia: Beyond Borders.” This theme provided a nexus for scholars and researchers to share perspectives on various aspects of the ever increasing global influence of South Asia. We sought to understand the South Asia region, beyond its borders. We especially invited research and presentations that examined the region through its intersectionality, from the perspective of media and cultural studies, in both historical and contemporary contexts.
With 47 experts joining us from seven countries in 2021, we truly traversed borders!
Stories about the conference can be found at:
FSU to Host Seventh Annual South Asian Media & Cultural Studies Conference
FSU hosts 7th annual South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference
You can also find out more about the conference presentations from our social media feeds:
Twitter: @samcsfsu (https://twitter.com/samcsfsu (Links to an external site.))
Instagram: @samcsfsu (http://instagram.com/samcsfsu (Links to an external site.))
Facebook: @samcsfsu (https://www.facebook.com/samcsfsu (Links to an external site.))
Please contact samcs@cci.fsu.edu if you have any questions, and come back to this page for information about our 8th annual conference in 2022.
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“Rising Voices” in South Asian Media & Cultural Studies
February 7, 2020
Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
Conference Program: SAMCS 2020 Program updated Feb 6 (003)
(Please note: Dr. Parameswaran’s talk is now at 3:30 pm on Friday, February 7)
Conference Overview
(Updated Schedule: We have re-scheduled the Thursday, February 6 opening keynote address since the university is closing this afternoon due to severe weather predictions. The conference will begin as scheduled on Friday morning, February 7. The keynote address Dr. Radhika Parameswaran will be at 3:30 on Friday, February 7.)
The 6th South Asian Media and Cultural Studies conference was held on February 7, 2020 at the Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement (CGE) at Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida. This year’s conference had the theme of “Rising Voices” in South Asian media and cultural studies. The South Asian region has been witnessing dynamic times in terms of socio-political changes, developments, and challenges. On the one hand, there are buoyant economies, healthy investments, growing trade ties, and increasing digital penetration into different sociocultural aspects of the region. Whereas on the other hand, the region continues to face vital challenges in the form of contesting sources of state legitimacy, inclusivity in governance and politics, neopatrimonialism, and marginalization issues related to immigration and human rights. Therefore, the open theme allows for more flexibility and breadth in the choice of panel and paper topics related to media and cultural studies in South Asia or its diaspora worldwide. The conference also focused on the everyday lived experiences of audiences and publics—in South Asia and the South Asian diaspora—in their interaction with different kinds of media: old and new, state and private, elite and popular, global and national. The South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference (SAMCS) is an alliance of scholars, academicians, and practitioners dedicated to fostering greater understanding of the region’s global importance.
Our keynote speaker Dr. Radhika Parameswaran, Herman B Wells Endowed Professor and former Director (2015 to 2019) of the Journalism department in the Media School at Indiana University, Bloomington, spoke on, “Rising Voices of the Indian Diaspora: A New South Asian Workforce Enters American Journalism.” This was at 3:30 pm on Friday, February 7 in the Auditorium at the Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement at Florida State University.
The main conference sessions ran from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on February 7, 2020, at the CGE and include lunch and coffee breaks.
Contact samcs@cci.fsu.edu if you have any questions.
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Cultural Disruptions: Media and Social Change in South Asia
January 31 – February 1, 2019
Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
Program:
The 5th South Asian Media and Cultural Studies conference was held on January 31- February 1, 2019 at the Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement (CGE) at Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida. This year’s theme, “Cultural Disruptions: Media and Social Change in South Asia,” focused on the reconfiguration of cultural, social, economic and political relationships in South Asia, in parallel with the epochal shift in the media and communication practices in the region.
The conference began with a keynote address on “Peace Communication in South Asia” by Anup Kumar of Cleveland State University at 4:30 PM on January 31, 2019, at the Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement, Florida State University. The main conference ran from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM on February 1, 2019 also at the CGE and include lunch and coffee breaks. We included a number of distance presentations from authors in South Asia.
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South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference 2018
February 1-2, 2018
Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
PROGRAM
Please find above the program of papers and presentations for the South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference 2018, held on February 1-2, 2018 at the Center for Global Engagement at Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.
Faculty, graduate and undergraduate students from many universities and colleges submitted abstracts of research papers, work in progress, and service projects dealing with South Asia for presentation at the South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference 2018. This region is important, both for its history and culture, and because of contemporary cultural, political, and economic developments. We had submissions from a wide range of disciplines, including work on media studies, culture, religion, education, politics, economics, and social issues. Presentations were in panel formats.
The conference began with a keynote speech by Ambassador Hussain Haqqani at 5:00 pm on Thursday evening, February 1, 2018, at the Center for Global Engagement, Florida State University. Ambassador Haqqani served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2011, and is now a Senior Fellow and Director for South and Central Asia at the Hudson Institute.
The main conference panels ran from 9:00 am 5:00 pm on Friday, February 2, 2018 also at the CGE, and included lunch and coffee/tea breaks. The CGE International Coffee Hour followed from 5:00-6:00.
We also had a panel and film beginning at 6:00 pm, “Reflecting on Masaan: How modern technology, especially media, impacts lives in modern day small-town India.”
Contact Steve McDowell at steve.mcdowell@cci.fsu.edu if you have any questions, or call at 850-645-2306.
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South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference
March 2-4, 2017
Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement
Florida State University
Here is the program for March 2 and 3, 2017: Program SAMCS 2017
Welcome to the South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference, March 2-3, 2017, at the Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement and the School of Communication at Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.
This region attracts much attention, both for its history and culture, but also for the significance of contemporary cultural, political, and economic developments. Graduate and undergraduate students from a range of universities and colleges presented research papers, work in progress, and service projects dealing with South Asia at the South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference 2016.
The conference began with an “Engage Your World” public event on Thursday evening, March 2, 2017, “Understanding Bollywood and South Asian Film: Key Contributions.” This will be held at the Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement, Florida State University.
The main conference ran from 9:00 am 5:00 pm on Friday, March 3, also at the CGE.
Please feel free to share this information with others. Contact Steve McDowell at steve.mcdowell@cci.fsu.edu if you have any questions, or call at 850-645-2306.
—- 2016 Conference Announcement —-
South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference
January 21-23, 2016
Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement
Florida State University
Welcome to the South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference, January 21-23, 2016, at the Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement and the School of Communication at Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.
This region attracts much attention, both for its history and culture, but also for the significance of contemporary cultural, political, and economic developments. Graduate and undergraduate students from a range of universities and colleges are presenting research papers, work in progress, and service projects dealing with South Asia at the South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference 2016. Presentations include work on media studies, culture, religion, politics, social issues, and anthropology, to name a few.
The conference began with an “Engage Your World” public event on Thursday evening, January 21, 2016, at the Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement, Florida State University, featuring Dr. Pankaj Chakraborty.
The main conference ran from 9:00 am 5:00 pm on Friday, January 22, 2016, also at the CGE.
We also held an invited faculty research workshop on Saturday, January 23.
The conference has sponsorship and faculty support from the following: The Fulbright Outreach Lecturing Fund, FSU Center for Global Engagement, John H. Phipps Fund of the FSU Foundation, FSU South Asian Media and Cultural Studies research program, The FSU Department of Religion, The FSU College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, The FSU College of Education, FSU College of Communication and Information, FSU Institute for Intercultural Communication and Research.
The faculty organizing committee includes Kathleen Erndl, Dept. of Religion, FSU; Ayesha Kurshid, College of Education, FSU; John Mayo, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, FSU; Aleks Nesic, Center for Global Engagement, FSU, Azmat Rasul, College of Communication and Information, FSU, and; Stephen McDowell, College of Communication and Information, FSU.
Please feel free to contact Steve McDowell at steve.mcdowell@cci.fsu.edu if you have any questions, or call at 850-645-2306.
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Here’s information about the student conference we held in January 2015.
South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference
January 22-23, 2015
Florida State University, Global and Multicultural Engagement Building
SAMCSC Press Release Event Bio Student papers Jan 23 2015
The South Asian Media & Cultural Studies Conference 2015 took place at Florida State University’s Global and Multicultural Engagement (GME) Building on January 22-23, 2015.
Graduate and undergraduate students from multiple universities and colleges at FSU presented on research and service projects, including areas such as: media studies, culture, religion, education, politics, economics, social issues & anthropology.
The conference began with an “Engage Your World” event at 5:30 on Thursday evening, January 22, 2015, featuring noted Indian filmmaker Somnath Sen as our opening keynote speaker. His talk was entitled, “It’s All Greek and Sanskrit: Reflections on Western and Indian Narratives in Filmmaking.”
The main conference ran from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm on Friday, January 23, 2015, also at the GME, with opening presentation by Dr. Evan Hoffman from Nova Southeastern University addressing peace building in Myanmar. Our luncheon keynote was FAMU Diplomat in Residence Michael Thurston, who spoke on “The U.S. Pivot to Asia.”
Stories about the 2015 conference can be found at:
http://nsunews.nova.edu/?p=67401
https://www.facebook.com/events/868465899841194/
The 2015 conference is an interdisciplinary project organized by several groups at Florida State University, including the Center for Global Engagement, the South Asian Media Studies research area in the School of Communication, the Department of Religion, the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, and the College of Education.
The faculty organizing committee included Kathleen Erndl, Dept. of Religion, FSU; Ayesha Khurshid, College of Education, FSU; John Mayo, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, FSU; Aleks Nesic, Center for Global Engagement, FSU, and; Stephen McDowell, College of Communication and Information, FSU.
Please see above for for information about the January 2016 conference. Please feel free to contact Steve McDowell at steve.mcdowell@cci.fsu.edu if you have any questions, or call at 850-644-2276.
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