About Me

I am a mixed-methods sociologist, specializing in ethnographic methods. My research interests include mass media discourses, gender-based violence/violence against women, activism, and social movements in contemporary India.  

Specifically, I ask why some incidents of gender-based violence (GBV) generate sweeping mass media, public, and political responses. What are the processes through which violent incidents are politicized in mass-media discourses in India? What are the societal effects of viral mass media and public discourses around GBV in India? 

My dissertation project focuses on media and activist networks of individuals and organizations around GBV incidents, particularly high-profile incidents. I ask how GBV media discourses are generated, why they are generated and leveraged differently, and what the implications are for anti-GBV reforms and activism. I use content and discourse analyses of GBV media coverage and ethnography of both media and activist networks, including journalists, activists, and NGO workers across urban India. 

Separately, using demographic survey data, I investigate the role of various social and demographic factors that influence attitudes and behaviors around GBV. Specifically, I am interested in the potential effects of the type and frequency of media and Internet access and autonomy on GBV-related attitudes and behaviors. 

I also work broadly on investigating the state of GBV media representation and coverage, using discourse and computational textual analysis. I use news and social media data and coverage, and am currently working on projects related to a hand-coded dataset of 500+ articles in Indian-English newspapers. 

I hold an MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago (2022) and a BA in International Studies from the American University (2019). 

Please feel free to email me at maya.krishnan-@-mail.mcgill.ca. 

Photos taken by Maya Krishnan, July 2023.