Research Papers by Smitha M
Inclusive, 2024
Protest, a fundamental right in a democracy, is an act of disruption – a challenge to the status ... more Protest, a fundamental right in a democracy, is an act of disruption – a challenge to the status quo. But protest goes beyond mere dissidence; it is a performance, a carefully curated spectacle that utilises aesthetics to amplify its message and impact. The aesthetics of protest are not merely ornamentation; they are a deliberate communication strategy. Traditional modes of communication, like speeches or petitions, can be limited in their reach. Aesthetics, however, transcend language barriers and resonate with a wider audience. Powerful imagery, evocative symbols, and captivating performances can capture attention, spark emotional responses, and crystallise complex issues into readily digestible narratives. Two of the defining features of twenty- first century political developments across the globe are the strengthening of right-wing forces and the emergence of new patterns of protests and solidarities across different sections of society challenging the neoliberal forces. This paper intends to explore the reimagining of protest in India through the protest at Shaheen Bagh against the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that rocked the nation in 2019. The discussion will focus on the visual and digital methodologies used in this protest, making optimum use of hybrid spaces. The theoretical underpinnings of the aesthetics of protest, examining how visual elements, rhetorics, symbols, and performance combine to create a potent force for change would be analysed to decipher the visual embodiment of protest.
Chalachithra Sameeksha, 2024
The engagement of popular media in visualising and problematising environmental
concerns attains ... more The engagement of popular media in visualising and problematising environmental
concerns attains greater significance in the context of the global awareness of humanity’s
detrimental impact on the Earth. Ecocriticism and film criticism together offer a much-
needed perspective on the motives and impacts of the cinematic portrayal of the environment
and the associated network of interactions in the era of the Anthropocene. This paper seeks to
explore the ecological and environmental propensities, affects and meanings generated
specifically through the specificities of the cinematic medium in Aavasavyuham: The Arbit
Documentation of an Amphibian Hunt (2022), directed by Krishand. Grounded in a critical
perspective, this paper conducts a multi-layered exploration into the avant-garde practices
employed in the film and its efficacy in representing the environmental predicament in the era
of the Anthropocene. Drawing extensively from the research already been done on Eco
cinema, this paper looks at the distinct capabilities of the cinematic medium for mediating
and visualising the ecological concerns of this era.
Littcrit, 2021
Aesthetics in cinema is a product of the combination of various cinematic techniques and the soci... more Aesthetics in cinema is a product of the combination of various cinematic techniques and the social perspective of the narrative with respect to the cinematic medium, evoking its ability of philosophize. In India, the early history of cinema shows a strongly political period which flourished under the various film societies and gave birth of the Third Cinema of which Malayalam cinema was a prominent presence. This paper attempts to position G. Aravindan as a filmmaker of a unique Third Cinema. This paper attempts to look at the cinematic vocabulary of G. Aravindan's films, analyze his philosophy of the medium and to look at the aesthetics of his cinema. This paper engages in attempting to look at G. Aravindan's cinematic craft in evolving an alternate Third Cinema. The focus of the paper lies in the medium under discussion as his philosophy is analyzed.
Dialectics of Trauma: Experience and Language, 2022
Drishti: The Sight, 2022
The ageing female identity in literature is stereotyped into the binary of the witch and the wise... more The ageing female identity in literature is stereotyped into the binary of the witch and the wise grandmother. The second wave of feminism raised concerns over the abjection of ageing female identity but was not successful in addressing it completely. Certain writers, including Doris Lessing and Margaret Laurence wrote ahead of their times. Nobel laureate Doris Lessing is a champion in delineating marginal identities and a few of her novels deal with an ageing female. First written under the pseudonym of Jane Somers, and later published under her own name, The Diary of a Good Neighbour delineates an ageing and energetic assistant editor, Jane, and a 90-year-old Maudie. This paper attempts to look at how by bringing a contrast between the two ladies and describing the physical details of ageing, Doris Lessing makes the abject aged female identity visible. Doris Lessing, through her technique of realism, compels readers to address the ageing female. The paper also looks at how Jane attains self-knowledge by her interaction with Maudie.
Malayalam Literary Survey, 2024
On the Banks of Mayyazhi in its fiftieth year is still relevant in defining Mahe – a former Frenc... more On the Banks of Mayyazhi in its fiftieth year is still relevant in defining Mahe – a former French Colony. This paper examines the disruptions and continuums of Mahe’s French connection, beyond its physical identity of a place, by using the concept of hybridity. The paper also interrogates the interaction of memory and geography through the erased and extant monuments, as delineated in the novel and the place itself, using concepts of hybridity and memory.
Keywords: Memory, Place, Geography, Hybridity, Colony, French.
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Research Papers by Smitha M
concerns attains greater significance in the context of the global awareness of humanity’s
detrimental impact on the Earth. Ecocriticism and film criticism together offer a much-
needed perspective on the motives and impacts of the cinematic portrayal of the environment
and the associated network of interactions in the era of the Anthropocene. This paper seeks to
explore the ecological and environmental propensities, affects and meanings generated
specifically through the specificities of the cinematic medium in Aavasavyuham: The Arbit
Documentation of an Amphibian Hunt (2022), directed by Krishand. Grounded in a critical
perspective, this paper conducts a multi-layered exploration into the avant-garde practices
employed in the film and its efficacy in representing the environmental predicament in the era
of the Anthropocene. Drawing extensively from the research already been done on Eco
cinema, this paper looks at the distinct capabilities of the cinematic medium for mediating
and visualising the ecological concerns of this era.
Keywords: Memory, Place, Geography, Hybridity, Colony, French.
concerns attains greater significance in the context of the global awareness of humanity’s
detrimental impact on the Earth. Ecocriticism and film criticism together offer a much-
needed perspective on the motives and impacts of the cinematic portrayal of the environment
and the associated network of interactions in the era of the Anthropocene. This paper seeks to
explore the ecological and environmental propensities, affects and meanings generated
specifically through the specificities of the cinematic medium in Aavasavyuham: The Arbit
Documentation of an Amphibian Hunt (2022), directed by Krishand. Grounded in a critical
perspective, this paper conducts a multi-layered exploration into the avant-garde practices
employed in the film and its efficacy in representing the environmental predicament in the era
of the Anthropocene. Drawing extensively from the research already been done on Eco
cinema, this paper looks at the distinct capabilities of the cinematic medium for mediating
and visualising the ecological concerns of this era.
Keywords: Memory, Place, Geography, Hybridity, Colony, French.