Web Politics
In the recent years, the Indian cyberspace has experienced a rising volume of political content, communication, and interactions. This cluster focuses on questions arising from the various forms that social, cultural, economic, and technological power takes in its online articulations, such as web-based political practices of social activists, policy advocates, change-makers, marginalised groups, and mainstream political parties in India. We are especially interested in the political expressions and activities of 'digital natives' and young users of the Internet; and the conceptualisations, articulations, and actualisations of 'change,' and the related emerging visions of political forms and social transformation, in the online discourse in India.
Projects
- Digital Natives (2009-2012)
- Making Change (2014)
Publications
- Digital Natives without a Cause?, a book series edited by Nishant Shah and Fieke Jansen
- Digital Natives with a Cause? Thinkathon: Position Papers edited by Nishant Shah, Josine Stremmelaar and Fieke Jansen
- Digital Natives with a Cause? A Report by Nishant Shah and Sunil Abraham
- Between the Stirrup and the Ground: Relocating Digital Activism by Nishant Shah and Fieke Jansen
- Digital Activism in Asia Reader (ongoing)
Recent Posts
- Creative Activism - Voices of Young Change Makers in India (UDAAN) — by Denisse Albornoz — last modified Apr 14, 2015 01:21 PM
- This post is a short account of what happened at UDAAN in December 2013 — a conference that gathered 100 youth from across the country to discuss pressing environmental issues and creative strategies to tackle them. We conducted a survey to map the perspectives of these young change-makers and get a glimpse of how India's youth is now framing and going about making 'change'
- Information Design - Visualizing Action (TTC) — by Denisse Albornoz — last modified Apr 17, 2015 10:34 AM
- This is the second part of the Making Change analysis on information activism. It explores the role of the presentation and design of information to translate information into action.
- Information Activism - Tactics for Empowerment (TTC) — by Denisse Albornoz — last modified Apr 17, 2015 10:36 AM
- This is the first of a two-part analysis of information activism for the Making Change project. This post looks at the benefits and limitations of increasing access to information to enable citizenship and political participation.
- Digital Native — by Nishant Shah — last modified Apr 17, 2015 10:40 AM
- The end of the year is supposed to be a happy, feel-good space for families, friends, societies and communities to come together and count our blessings. It is the time to look at things that have gone by and look forward to what the New Year will bring.
- Methods for Social Change — by Denisse Albornoz — last modified Apr 17, 2015 10:42 AM
- On this brief introduction, I outline the main targets of my research project for CIS and the HIVOS Knowledge Program. As a response to the thought piece ‘Whose Change is it Anyway’ I will explore civic engagement among middle class youth over the course of the next 9 months by interviewing change makers and collectives that are part of multi-stakeholder projects in Bangalore.
- Public Art, Technology and Citizenship - Blank Noise Project — by Denisse Albornoz — last modified Apr 17, 2015 10:43 AM
- Jasmeen Patheja speaks about the active citizen in the digital age, its challenges in the public and private spheres and interdisciplinary methods to overcome them.
- Digitally Enhanced Civil Resistance — by Denisse Albornoz — last modified Apr 17, 2015 10:46 AM
- This reflection looks at how civil disobedience unfolds in network societies. It explores the origins of nonviolence, describes digital and non-digital tactics of non-violent protest and participation and finally comments on the possibilities of this form of civil resistance to foster individual and collective civic engagement.
- Bangalore + Sustainability Summit — by Denisse Albornoz — last modified Apr 17, 2015 10:48 AM
- The power of technology to create youth engagement and positive social change were discussed at the Bangalore + Sustainability Summit on September 21, 2013 at the Centre for Internet and Society(CIS) , Bangalore. The event, in conjunction with the Social Good Summit that took place in New York during the same weekend, explored creative and tech-based avenues to solve sustainability challenges and promote social good.
- Revealing Protesters on the Fringe: Crucifixion Protest in Paraguay — by Denisse Albornoz — last modified Apr 17, 2015 10:51 AM
- An analysis of the crucifix protest in Paraguay in the light of Nishant Shah’s piece: Whose Change is it Anyway? The blog post looks at the physical and symbolic spaces in which narratives of change were conceived and the extent to which information circulating within activates citizen action.
- Framing the Digital AlterNatives — by Nilofar Ansher — last modified May 08, 2015 12:28 PM
- They effect social change through social media, place their communities on the global map, and share spiritual connections with the digital world - meet the everyday digital native.