Centre for the Study of Communications & Culture

Overview

We are interested in analysing the interplay between national and transnational media and cultures and their impact on social structures, particularly in the developing world. 

Our concern is with problematising transnational media and culture.  Despite some evidence to suggest the ‘levelling-down’ of cultures we are seeing everywhere in Southeast Asia the emergence and development of alternative cultural forms and strategies. These developments pose contemporary challenges, both theoretically and politically.

We are also interested in the area of the ‘new media’ or information and communications technologies and the promises offered for the betterment of society. 

The development of civil society and new media in the region has added a new dimension to the overall scenario. The interactive and seemingly borderless nature and immediacy of the new media have led many to hail its transformative capabilities. Of course, these assertions will require more rigourous analyses in different contexts.

Collaborations 

• Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
• Institute of South East Asian Studies, Vietnam
• Malaysian Ministry of Education (MOE) 
• School of Communication, Universiti Sains Malaysia
• Centre for Independent Journalism, Malaysia
• Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)
• Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF)
• Monash University Malaysia