Dr. Munshi Releases New Book

AUK Professor of Anthropology and Division Head - Social Sciences, Shoma Munshi's book Prime Time Soap Operas on Indian Television with Routledge (New Delhi/London/New York), has been published in August 2009. 

This is the first book to examine prime time soap operas on Indian television. It examines five prime time soaps, and argues that this particular genre of popular culture provides important resources for insights into contemporary social issues and practices. Focusing on the complex constructions of family, tradition, 'Indian-ness' and gender, the book also analyzes narrative structures of soaps in the context of their fractured and never-ending time frames and plot outlines.

Meticulously researched and persuasively argued, the book tracks how prime time soaps in India have made the small screen a big medium in reaching out to people. It will be of interest to students of anthropology and sociology, media and cultural studies, visual culture studies, gender and family studies, and also Asian studies in general.

The book has 50 color visuals supplied by television content production houses and television channels.

A book launch was held in Mumbai on August 25, 2009, on the sets of Bidaai, one of the soap operas examined in the book. Organized by the producer-director, Rajan Shahi, the stars and entire production crew were present at the launch. The media were invited for the occasion, which was televised on the channels of Star News, Aaj Tak, TV 18, and News 24.

The book will be reviewed in academic journals as well as the popular press, and is being exhibited in the upcoming Frankfurt Book Fair, the largest book fair in the world, from October 14-18, 2009. 

Outlook India, one of the leading English language weekly magazines, has invited Dr. Munshi to do a special review piece on my book. This magazine is read worldwide and has one of the largest circulation figures, both in India and overseas. 

The book received promising reviews. Dale F. Eickelman, the Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Anthropology and Human Relations at Dartmouth College, USA, said "If Bollywood films idealize men and masculinity, Indian prime time soaps foreground women and frame attitudes toward changing family and gender roles. This superb book is good to think with, as Claude Levi-Strauss might say. It links media studies in India firmly to the main currents of social thought."

Peter van der Veer, Director, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Germany; and University Professor, Utrecht University, the Netherlands added, "This is a sophisticated and theoretically penetrating analysis of Indian soap operas. It is deeply informative but fortunately does not spoil the fun. Munshi's book is simultaneously wide-ranging and incisive; a must for those of us interested in popular culture and everyday life in India." 

When asked as to what impact Indian prime time soap operas have had in shaping and changing attitudes in India Dr. Munshi said, "a great deal, and for that, you must read the book! This is by far the most contested territory since there is a general tendency to dismiss soaps and their heroines as portrayed regressively, with stereotypical images of submissive women. What is exciting, and heartening, is to see how, despite the criticisms leveled against them, prime time soap operas play a central role in empowering women. Throughout the book, I have tried to show how prime time soap narratives are so structured as to carry out this role; and how their heroines are represented as strong women, who, when faced with moral dilemmas, or in tackling other problems, deal with them in ways that must undoubtedly resonate with many women who feel that these soaps change the way they see and interact with their world."

Copies can also be ordered directly from Routledge India. Please send an email to marketing@tandfindia.com or bookorders@tandfindia.com. Some copies of the book are available in AUK's book store and AUK's library will also order copies.
 

The book cover of Dr. Munshi's new book