Saumya Pant, Ph.D.
Ph.D., Ohio University, 2007  Office: Room 224, 505-277-2660	Assistant Professor Communication

Research:

My understanding of communication theory emanates from my experiences in the field. I believe that theory leads the way to practice and lessons learned in the field help shape theory. I have worked with indigenous communities and have learned to privilege local knowledge. In doing so, I look at the intersection of gender and communication and endorse myself as a transnational and postcolonial feminist. As a feminist approach, transnational feminism is generally attentive to intersections among nationhood, race, gender, sexuality and economic exploitation on a world scale, in the context of emergent global capitalism. As a postcolonial feminist, I argue that cultures impacted by colonialism are often vastly different and should be treated as such. My recent research has focused on the impact of mass media programs on the lives of young women in a conservative Indian community. From a feminist perspective, I study the ways these young women enact empowerment in their private and public spaces.

Sample Publications:

• Harter, L.M., Sharma, D., Pant, S., Sharma, Y., & Singhal, A. (2007). "Catalyzing social reform through participatory folk performances in rural India." In L. Frey & K. Carragee (Eds.), Communication and social activism. (pp. 269-298). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

• Singhal, A., Rao, N., & Pant, S. (2006). "Entertainment-Education and Possibilities for Second-order Social Change," Journal of Creative Communications, 3(1), 267-283.

• Singhal, A., Witte, K., Muthuswamy, N., Duff, D., P.N. Vasanti, Papa, M.J., Harter, L.M., Sharma, D., Pant, S., Sharma, A.K., Worrell, T., Ahmed, M., Shrivastav, A., Verma, C., Sharma, Y., Rao, N., Chitnis, K., and Sengupta, A. (2004). "Effects of Taru, a Radio Soap Opera, on Audiences in India: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis." Population Communications International.

• Pant, S., Singhal, A., and Bhasin, U. (2002) "Using radio drama to entertain and educate: India’s experience with the production, reception, and transcreation of 'Dehleez'." Journal of Development Communication, 13(2), 52-66.

• Papa, M. J., Singhal, A., Law, S., Pant, S., Sood, S., Rogers, E. M., and Shefner-Rogers, C. (2000). "Entertainment-education and social change: An analysis of parasocial interaction, social learning, collective efficacy, and paradoxical communication." Journal of Communication, 50(4), 31-55

• Singhal, A., Pant, S., and Rogers, E.M. (2000). "Environmental activism through an entertainment-education soap opera in India." In M. Oepen and W. Whamacher (Eds.) Communicating the environment (pp. 173-177). Frankfurt, Germany: Peter Lag Publishers.

Authors: Jurgen Habermas, Nancy Fraser, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Gayatri Spivak, Uma Narayan, Dennis Mumby, Paulo Freire, Augusto Boal, Robert Chambers, Saul Alinsky.

Teaching Style: I consider teaching to be a learning experience in which the students participate in creating an environment where difference is respected and voices are empowered to be heard. Classroom is a vibrant space where teaching and learning is performed and enjoyed.

Why UNM?: I am following a dream…A dream that I am dancing with people from multiple cultures and singing songs of peace and understanding. I am certain that UNM will provide me the music to dance on the rhythm of equality and justice for all.