This international conference is a collaborative initiative by KU, Leuven and CCMG, Jamia Millia Islamia. Drawing on national and global experiences, the conference aims to look at media diversity as a concept, the methods to enumerate it and its location in media policy analyses.

Since Independence, there have been many scholarly debates on “pluralism” and “diversity” in the social sciences in India; however, rarely has scholarship looked at these ideas through the lens of the media. As a result, media diversity remains under-conceptualised in Indian media scholarship, and perhaps consequently in media policy in India. There are so many concerns like equitable access to media infrastructure, political & commercial presence in the media markets, and the representation of women, ethnic and religious groups which together give birth to a complex or rather perplexed media landscape in India. The question thus confronting us is what kind of influence does diversity has on the democratic fabric of Indian society, and vice versa.

The conference aims to initiate systematic and informed reflections on the conceptual and methodological perspectives on media diversity. Being a collaborative initiative by Centre for Culture Media and Governance, JMI and KU Leuven, Institute of Media Studies, Belgium, the conference will bring in international and comparative perspectives to the various presentations, and global expertise on policy analysis and enumerating diversity.