THE RECEPTION OF BOLLYWOOD CINEMA AMONG INDIANS IN AUSTIN
Bollywood, Diaspora and Social Media
Research plan
Bollywood 101Its connections with Indian DiasporaMy research interestTheoretical framework & potential sampleResearch questionsQ&A
Intro to Bollywood
Hindi film industry is one of the most thriving, globally
‘Bollywood’ is able to hold its own in India against Hollywood, partly because of cultural proximity
How do diasporic populations react to Bollywood?
Indian diaspora
For college-educated, English speaking audience , Western programming is a signifier of cultural capital
At the same time, when members of this elite community live abroad they miss home
Bollywood becomes one way of articulating ‘Indianness’, irrespective of cultural background
The Big Picture
Why study this?Do social media play an important
role in the dissemination of Bollywood content among Indians in Austin?
How do social media help shape nostalgia post-26/11?
How do imagined communities come together online?
Theoretical frameworks
Cultural proximity
Imagined communities
Global cultural flows
Sample
Indian students and professionals living in Austin
Many work in information technology and allied areas
Do they make heavy use of social media to get their Bollywood fix?
How often –
did you watch Bollywood films in India?
do you watch a Bollywood film at the Tinseltown South theater?
do you use Netflix to watch Bollywood films?
do you post song videos and film clips on social media such as Facebook?
Do you…
miss India a lot more after 26/11?prefer watching clips of Bollywood films on
YouTube or entire movies?prefer stories engaging the diasporic experience?access more Bollywood content post-26/11?tend to watch Bollywood films alone…or use it as an opportunity to bond with family
and friends who speak your native tongue?engage friends or strangers from different
regions, or ethnicities, in an online discussion about Bollywood cinema?
QUESTIONS?
