HYDERABAD: Two doctoral scholars from the University of Hyderabad’s (UoH) department of communication, Vamsi Krishna Pothuru and Treesa Reena John, recently concluded a two-week research visit to the University of Queensland (UQ), Brisbane, Australia. The visit was part of an ongoing SPARC (Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration) project supported by the Government of India, titled Community Media, Participation & the Decolonisation of Indigenous Knowledge Systems.Their work during the trip focused on academic exchange and field engagement under the guidance of Professors Pradip Thomas and Elske van de Fliert from the School of Communication and Arts at UQ. While Vamsi is pursuing his PhD under the supervision of Prof Kanchan K. Malik, Treesa is guided by Prof. Vinod Pavarala. Both scholars presented their field-based research like Vamsi’s from Telangana, and Treesa’s from Kerala and discussed community radio’s intersections with indigenous and local knowledge. Professors Thomas and van de Fliert also contributed to the discussion by examining broader political and epistemological contexts of indigenous knowledge in India.The scholars also presented their ongoing doctoral research at a roundtable involving fellow researchers at UQ. As part of their field exposure, they visited three community radio stations in Brisbane which includes 4EB 98.1 FM, Triple A 98.8 FM, and 4ZZZ 102.1 FM, in order to observe how these platforms engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through programming rooted in indigenous traditions and concerns.The visit extended to Griffith University, where the scholars participated in a collegial advisory session and shared their work with academics connected to UoH through previous collaborations.
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