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How do videos, movies and documentaries dedicated to indigenous communities transform the media landscape of South Asia? Based on extensive original research, this book examines how in South Asia popular music videos, activist political clips, movies and documentaries about, by and for indigenous communities take on radically new significances. Media, Indigeneity and Nation in South Asia shows how in the portrayal of indigenous groups by both 'insiders' and 'outsiders' imaginations of indigeneity and nation become increasingly interlinked. Indigenous groups, typically marginal to the nation, are at the same time part of mainstream polities and cultures. Drawing on perspectives from media studies and visual anthropology, this book compares and contrasts the situation in South Asia with indigeneity globally.

This volume draws its inspiration from perspectives that have developed over
the last few decades in media anthropology. These include seminal works such as
Bourdieu's (1993 ) analysis of cultural production, Larkin's (2008 ) study of the
impact of media technologies on cultural form and Ginsburg's (1995a , 2002 ) work
on indigenous media. Methodologically, the volume relies heavily on ethnography;
each of the contributions is grounded in qualitative research. Most of the chapters
are based upon data that their authors collected while doing long-term research.
Typically, such research involves building up lasting relationships with one's interlocutors,
learning about their ideas, attitudes and practices by accompanying them
in everyday life. Taken together, the various contributions explore how media that
is made for audiences deemed indigenous is produced, shared, and viewed or
'consumed'. The chapters explore the social and political impact of old and new
media technologies and media content in relation to the (re)formulation, contestation
and (re)defi nition of mediatised representations of indigeneity, and how this
bears upon perceptions and conceptualisations of nation in South Asia.

This volume draws its inspiration from perspectives that have developed over the last few decades in media anthropology. These include seminal works such as Bourdieu's (1993) analysis of cultural production, Larkin's (2008) study of the impact of media technologies on cultural form and Ginsburg's (1995a , 2002 ) work on indigenous media. Methodologically, the volume relies heavily on ethnography; each of the contributions is grounded in qualitative research. Most of the chapters are based upon data that their authors collected while doing long-term research. Typically, such research involves building up lasting relationships with one's interlocutors, learning about their ideas, attitudes and practices by accompanying them in everyday life. Taken together, the various contributions explore how media that is made for audiences deemed indigenous is produced, shared, and viewed or 'consumed'. The chapters explore the social and political impact of old and new media technologies and media content in relation to the (re)formulation, contestation and (re)definition of mediatised representations of indigeneity, and how this bears upon perceptions and conceptualisations of nation in South Asia.

Cover -- Half Title -- Series Page -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- List of contributors -- Acknowledgements -- List of figures and maps -- Map-Geographical coverage of the chapters -- Situating environmental humanities in the New Himalayas: An introduction -- Context -- An experiment of undisciplining-challenges and dividends -- Himalayan humanities for the New Himalayas -- Pluriverse of Himalayan humanities -- References -- Part I: Kindred of the earth, deities, humans and animals -- Chapter 1: Relatedness, trans-species knots and yak personhood in the Bhutan highlands -- Folkloric entrances -- Introduction: co-dwelling, co-evolving and co-shaping -- Derrida's cat and Haraway's dog: extralinguistic communication and animal personhood -- Trans-species relatedness, kin-making and knots -- Intentionality, agency and affective lives among yaks -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 2: Lepcha water view and climate change in Sikkim Himalaya -- Lepcha homestay in Himalayan Village -- Water and myths -- Lingzya waterfall -- Tale of the water spirit and the hunter -- Water and religion -- Water and gender -- Water and livelihood -- Centrality of water -- Unmanageable waters -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 3: Eco-spiritual and economic perspectives in Bhutan's Haa district -- Introduction -- A spiritual landscape -- Local deities and stories -- Deities and environmental conservation -- The rise of instrumental orientations towards the environment -- Neoliberal logic -- Conclusion -- Acknowledgements -- Notes -- References -- Part II: Aqueous earth -- Chapter 4: Narratives from a fluvial world: Poetics of charland dwelling in neo-colonial Assam -- Introduction -- Chardwellers' cultural narratives -- Colonial and neo-colonial politics -- The Miya poetry movement -- Postscript -- References.