Writing Society through Media: Ethnography of a Hindi Daily

The anthropology of journalism has emerged as a rather distinct research interest, committed to investigating news as a form of ‘cultural meaning-making,’ by studying occupational practices and professionalism among people in the news business. What anthropologists have contributed to media studies in recent times are detailed ethnographic insights, from editorial offices and work routines in various social contexts and in different parts of the world. Previously, journalism was a rather thoroughly researched occupation in the large cities of Western Europe and the US. Now, there are a growing number of comparative studies of news professionals elsewhere in the world, helping to grasp the diversities and variability in a globally-distributed form of media production. This book is the first ethnographic study of vernacular journalism in India. By focusing on a profession that describes – but is simultaneously inscribed in – contemporary Indian society, the book discusses a professional practice in relation to processes of cultural globalization, modernity, and political imagination.