Pradip Thomas

Associate Professor Pradip Thomas "is a leading academic in the area of communication and social change, communication rights and the political economy of communications in India. He coordinates research at the SJC... He has co-edited a number of books including ‘Who Owns the Media: Global trends and Local Resistance’ (2001) - along with Zaharom Nain (Zed/Southbound), ‘Intellectual Property Rights and Communication in Asia: Conflicting Trends’ (2006) along with Jan Servaes (Sage) and Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Intellectual Property in the Twenty First Century: Perspectives from Southern Africa (2007), along with Issac Mazondei (Codesria). His forthcoming writings include the Sage volume – Strong Religion/Zealous Media: Christian Fundamentalism and Communications in India (2008). As an activist scholar who worked formerly with the international media NGO, WACC, Pradip has travelled widely throughout the world and has been involved in the planning and evaluation of community media projects including community radio in Haiti. He played a key role in the Communication Rights in the Information Society campaign linked to the World Summit on the Information Society. He has been a frequent key note speaker at international media conferences and is at present the Vice President, Participatory Communications Section, IAMCR. He is on the editorial council of a number of journals including Media Development, Journal of Creative Communications, Communication for Development and Social Change, Journalism and Communication Monographs and the International Journal of Press/Politics. He is presently involved in an ACIAR research project in Vietnam on Participatory Communications in which he is specifically exploring Indigenous Knowledge Systems and agricultural practices among hill communities."