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Start date: 2020Subject: search.filters.subject.India

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    A culture-centered exploration of India’s Community Health Workers’ meanings of the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of mobile technology in response strategies : a thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Communication and Journalism at Massey University, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Center for Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation (CARE)
    (Massey University, 2025-01-20) Pattanaik, Samiksha
    During the COVID-19 pandemic, Community Health Workers (CHWs), particularly in developing countries such as India, played a crucial role in controlling the virus's spread (Niyati & Nelson Mandela, 2020). India imposed the world’s largest lockdown (Ghosh, 2020; Mathur, 2020), swiftly deploying its CHWs known as ASHA workers for community-level COVID-19 prevention and mitigation (Niyati & Nelson Mandela, 2020). Reports indicated that ASHAs in some states were required to purchase and use smartphones for COVID-19 tasks (Brar Singh, 2020; Hindustan Times, 2020b). This top-down approach to pandemic communication and mHealth initiatives (M. J. Dutta, S. Kaur-Gill, et al., 2018; Kumar & Anderson, 2015) sidelined ASHAs' their voices in mainstream discourse, despite their essential role. Furthermore, while existing research in this area has identified the structural challenges faced by ASHAs—such as overwhelming workloads and inadequate compensation—these studies often treat these challenges in a reductionist manner (Lazarus, 2020; Nichols et al., 2022; Srivastava, 2021), often from the perspective of the researcher. This marginalisation of ASHAs' voices is particularly concerning in the context of public health emergencies, where they are thrust into frontline roles without adequate infrastructural and policy support. This thesis addresses this significant gap in research by foregrounding their voices and lived experiences as frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on the Culture Centered Approach (CCA), a meta-theoretical framework particularly suited for research in marginalised settings, this study uses semi-structured interviews to explore ASHAs’ narratives, shedding light on how they navigated the pandemic and engaged with mHealth initiatives. The study finds that ASHAs operate within intersecting layers of structural inequalities shaped by their socio-economic context and the neoliberal organisation of India’s healthcare system. This system reduces these marginalised female workers to ‘efficient’ subjects, using their labour to offload state responsibilities while offering minimal support and compensation. Through this analysis, the research advances the theoretical framework of the CCA by deepening the understanding of the layering of structures upon structures and their simultaneous interaction with culture. While existing CCA literature addresses the structure culture dynamic, this study uniquely highlights how these layered structures intersect, reinforce, and sometimes contradict each other, intensifying marginalisation. In the context of mHealth, the study uncovers the complex, multifaceted, and sometimes contradictory meanings of technology in marginalised spaces, ranging from the relevance of face-to-face communication and bottom-up uses of technology in rural healthcare, to issues surrounding data privacy, confidentiality, and digital burden in marginalised spaces. By placing these evolving and often contradictory meanings at the center of theorising, this research challenges techno-optimism and prompts a critical re-evaluation of the role of technology in healthcare delivery, with mHealth as a key example. Additionally, this study extends the concept of marginalised agency within the CCA by shifting away from binary understandings of resistance and submission, demonstrating how such agency is multidimensional and dynamic, shaped by an intricate web of cultural, social, religious, economic, and professional factors. This multilayered interaction forces ASHAs to continuously negotiate their positions, sometimes exercising their voices and demands, and at other times complying with top-down orders due to structural constraints, while drawing on cultural resources to navigate these structures. The thesis concludes with recommendations for a communicative framework that integrates ASHAs into decision-making processes, fostering resilience among CHWs and the communities they serve in future health crises.
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    The nation imagined : a critical study of nationhood and identity through the cover art of Indian speculative literature : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Media Studies at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2024-11-26) Krishnamurthy, Nikite
    Over the past decade (2013–2023), India, the largest democracy in the world, has experienced a pronounced rise in religious nationalism, marked by its entrenchment in mainstream media, visual culture, and political rhetoric. This thesis examines the role of popular visual culture in shaping ideas of nationhood by focusing on the book cover art of Indian Speculative and Fantasy Fiction (ISFF). It argues that ISFF genre art functions as a visual discourse that not only mirrors but actively constructs and contests dominant narratives of Indian identity. Drawing upon Jacques Rancière’s aesthetics of politics and Roland Barthes’ semiotics, this study demonstrates how ISFF book covers encode visual themes—such as hyper-masculine portrayals of Hindu warrior-heroes, mythological iconography, and saffronised aesthetics—that reinforce nationalist myths of a unified, Hindu-centric “imagined community”. Through detailed visual analysis, the thesis reveals the ideological significance of these representations, exposing how they contribute to exclusionary conceptions of Indianness while simultaneously providing a platform to challenge hegemonic narratives. Specifically, it identifies tensions between religious nationalism, caste hierarchies, and the commodification of mythology in India’s contemporary political landscape. By situating these visual motifs within India’s broader visual and political history, the research highlights their capacity to naturalise historical revisionism and propagate militant masculinities tied to Hindu nationalist ideologies. This thesis makes an original contribution to the interdisciplinary study of visual culture and politics by elucidating how genre-specific visual discourse in ISFF reflects, mediates, and complicates contemporary identity politics in India. It offers a critical lens through which to understand how popular culture operates as an ideological apparatus that negotiates complex socio-political narratives within a globalising and increasingly polarised society.
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    Experiences of Muslims in India on digital platforms with anti-Muslim hate: a culture-centered exploration
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2024-09-02) Dutta MJ; Pal M; Roy S
    This manuscript examines the experiences of Muslims in India with hate on digital platforms. Extant research on Islamophobia on digital platforms offers analyses of the various discourses circulating on digital platforms. This manuscript builds on that research to document the experiences of online hate among Muslims in India based on a survey of 1,056 Muslims conducted by Qualtrics, a panel-based survey company, between November 2021 and December 2021. The findings point to the intersections between white supremacist and Hindutva Alt-Right messages on digital platforms, delineating the fascist threads that form the convergent infrastructures of digital hate. Moreover, they document the extensive exposure of Muslims in India to Islamophobic hate on digital platforms, raising critical questions about their health and wellbeing. The paper wraps up with policy recommendations regarding strategies for addressing online Islamophobic hate on digital platforms.
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    Navigating asthma-the immigrant child in a tug-of-war: A constructivist grounded theory
    (John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2023-07) Sudarsan I; Hoare K; Sheridan N; Roberts J
    BACKGROUND: Avoidable hospitalisation rates for Indian immigrant children with asthma is high in New Zealand and other Western countries. Understanding how children and their carers manage asthma may lead to a reduction in hospitalisation rates. The topic of asthma and Indian immigrant children's perspectives has not been investigated. Most studies on the topic focus on the experiences of family carers and health professionals. Practice cannot be advanced in the child's best interests unless the child's asthma experiences are explored. The following research addressed this gap by upholding Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, thereby giving Indian immigrant children a voice in describing their asthma experiences. DESIGN: Constructivist grounded theory. METHODS: Intensive interviews were conducted with ten family carers and nine children (eight to 17 years old). Child-sensitive data collection techniques such as drawing, and photography were used to facilitate interviewing children younger than 14 years. The COREQ guidelines guided the reporting of this study. RESULTS: The theory, navigating asthma: the immigrant child in a tug-of-war, is the resulting grounded theory with the tug-of-war being the basic social process. This theory comprises three main categories: being fearful, seeking support and clashing cultures. The data reflected two types of tug-of-war: one between two cultures, the native Indian and the host New Zealand culture and another between family carers' and children's preferences. CONCLUSION: Acculturation and sociocultural factors may significantly influence the asthma experiences of Indian immigrants. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The theory may assist healthcare practitioners to better comprehend Indian immigrants' asthma experiences within their wider sociocultural context. Our research indicates the need for healthcare practitioners to work in partnership with Indian immigrant families to implement culturally safe asthma management strategies.
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    Slot n' Slide : a concept design for a life jacket for flood events in India : an exegesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Design at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2022) Shaik, Areef
    India endures numerous flood events every year due to its tropical monsoon climate. River delta regions affected by these disaster events are often heavily populated and experience considerable damage and loss of life through drowning. The life jacket currently in use by first responders in India negatively impacts performance with unsatisfactory levels of protection, comfort, and stowage. In addition, these products present fit and usability challenges and lack cultural sensitivity to end-users. This research project addresses the suitability of this life jacket to respond efficiently in an emergency by using a practice-led prototyping investigation to develop a specific flood rescue product that is reflective of the context of use and responsive to the cultural context of India. The outcome of this creative practice research is a ‘slot n slide’ panel life jacket inspired by the traditional Indian sari. This conceptual design accommodates a diverse range of body anthropometry in a one-size-fits-all solution, achieved by an innovative inter-panel strapping system with integrated side adjustments. This concept provides new and perceivable benefits, including improvements in utility for first responders, single product deployment, efficient stowage and provisioning with easier donning and doffing, broad size accommodation, and a single adjustment strap, improving usability for end-users.
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    The role of internal balancing in response to China's military rise in the Asia-Pacific : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2022) Amerian, Sirous
    In Asia, alongside the increased power and threat of China as a rising power, the era of external balancing/alliance building and relying on the US is on the decline, and it is expected that states take care of their own security needs. Consequently, more states should rely on their internal and military capacities to balance against potential threats. A vast amount of realist literature has employed various theories in predicting state behaviour against powerful rivals and threats. Most such studies conclude with alliance building as their primary prescription and don’t pay much attention to internal balancing. Yet, with the points illustrated previously, this study believes external balancing alone is not enough. With the US leaving, there will be a security vacuum and countries need to take care of themselves. In a more recent iteration of neo-classical realism, the Dynamic Balancing model by Kai He and one of its hypotheses suggests that in a Uni-polar world, the current prevailing structure of the world we live in, if threats come from non-hegemonic states, the threatened states could seek help or ally with the hegemon. Still, such relations with the hegemon would be closer to bandwagoning rather than alliance building. Even if forged, this alliance would not last. Therefore, in a unipolar system, the primary strategy of non-hegemon states, the cases being studied here, would be internal balancing. This study, by employing qualitative document analysis resources, wants to investigate and test this hypothesis further by looking at middle powers, as significant players and military spenders in the region and countries that enjoy deep security and economic relations with the US, and investigate how they have approached internal balancing, specifically its military side to balance against China, and if the hypothesis suggested in this model is correct. The contribution of this study would be its attempt to study and test the Dynamic Balancing model and see how each case has performed in relation to the hypothesis.
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    Effect of industry changes on quality and sustainability in the luxury apparel value chains : the case of cashmere industry in India : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering, School of Food and Advanced Technology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2021) Ishrat, Sheikh Imran
    Cashmere is an extremely fine and expensive natural fibre used to make a variety of luxury apparel products. The Kashmir region of India has been the traditional hub for manufacturing cashmere products for centuries and a source of livelihood to many artisan communities. However, changes in the cashmere industry such as the advent of mechanisation, use of blended fibres, exposure to wider markets and lack of quality standards is leading to social, economic, environmental, and quality issues in the craft industry. The aim of this interdisciplinary research was to determine and analyse the effect of these industry changes through the lenses of quality and sustainability. This study was carried out as an ethnographic case study in the context of an industry making transition to the global consumer age. To this end, a single case study was conducted in Kashmir, India using qualitative methodological approaches. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, observations and from secondary sources such as retailer websites and documents. A thematic analysis-based approach was adopted in this research. Findings indicate that there are three distinct cashmere value chains functioning simultaneously in India: a traditional chain, a modern chain and a Geographical Indication-based chain. Among other implications of the industry changes, the two major aspects observed were the marginalization of cashmere artisanal communities and the lack of recognition of distinct product labelling options. This has economic, social and environmental ramifications and leads to quality issues. Therefore, for multiple cashmere value chains which produce a range of products, a product labelling mechanism distinguishing the place of fibre origin, type of the fibre used, and practices adopted during the manufacture is developed. Also, the adoption of Geographical Indications (GI) as a quality and sustainable development tool is considered, and a conceptual model (QASHMIR) is developed to model the sustainable development of the cashmere industry in India. A policy mechanism to implement and monitor the proposed model using the sustainability indicator system is suggested. Through this, a contribution to the body of knowledge surrounding luxury apparel value chains is made for academics, policy makers and industry practitioners.
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    Critical insights into modern slavery : case of debt bonded labour in Indian brick kilns : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2021) Nazir, Omer
    ‘Modern slavery,’ an umbrella term used to describe many forms of severe exploitations, has sparked a growing interest in management and organisation research. This has led to the acknowledgement of both the illegitimacy and scale of modern slavery, resulting in new legislations (e.g. the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in the United Kingdom) urging businesses to eradicate modern slavery from their supply chains. The efforts of academia in promoting these laws indicate that the interventions are typically viewed as enlightened and founded in scientific research. Yet, as an International Labour Organisation report noted, more people are now categorised as slaves in modern times than was the case when slavery was legal (ILO, 2019). This study takes a critical step back from ‘how’ modern slavery can be eradicated to ‘why’ do we understand modern slavery the way we do and what has sustained such insidious practice. Adopting a Marxian ontology and Foucauldian epistemology and drawing from ‘exploitations’ based theoretical framework, this study uses a case-study approach to examine the ‘form’ and ‘formation’ of modern slavery, with a focus on debt bondage, in the Indian brick kiln industry. The research design involved multi-method analyses, comprised of discourse analysis, visual (film) analysis, interviews and observations, and autoethnography. The results from this study call into doubt the candour of the widely accepted notion of modern slavery being an individualised relation between a master and a slave – a form that it took in the nineteenth century. Instead, this thesis suggests thinking differently about modern slavery such that the form and formation of debt bondage are placed in the wider context of everyday life in the midst of neoliberal regimes. In that vein, the thesis concludes that modern slavery is not simply an individualised relation between a master and a slave, but a complex phenomenon produced by everyday interactions, for example, in relation to food, family, love or responsibility; and sustained by neoliberal logics that serve as the basis of particular regimes of truth.