Dr. Piyashi Dutta is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Media, Arts and Design at South Asian University, New Delhi. A scholar of sociology and media studies, her research focuses on tribal and tribal knowledge systems, decolonial research methodologies, media representation, gender, health communication, and folk media. Grounded in ethnographic and community-centred approaches, her scholarship examines epistemic plurality and challenges dominant frameworks of knowledge production. Her recent work explores the intersections of Artificial Intelligence, cultural representation, decoloniality, and ethical knowledge governance, with particular emphasis on culturally responsive approaches to AI.
Dr. Dutta’s doctoral research on Jingrwai Iawbei, the whistling tradition of the Khasi community in Kongthong, Meghalaya, represents the first comprehensive scholarly study of this endangered cultural practice. Her work has been featured by the BBC, The Week, The Times of India, and AFAR Magazine.
She is regularly invited to present her research at leading national and international academic forums, including the University of Oxford, IIT Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and the University of Mumbai. Her work on Dharma foregrounds tribal and indigenous perspectives within wider discourse of epistemic plurality.
As a doctoral supervisor, she guides research in folk media, gender studies, health communication, media studies, performance studies, and tribal studies. Her current scholarship positions epistemic plurality as a foundation for ethical AI development and governance in culturally diverse societies.
Personal webpage: https://sites.google.com/view/dr-piyashi-dutta/home
Bhagawati, P., & Dutta, P. (2025). Handloom
guardians: Women weavers of Mohpara in Assam, India. TEXTILE, Taylor
and Francis.
Dutta, P., & Kumar, A. (2025). "I
want to live free, down the road": Agency, freedom and empowerment in Dhak
Dhak. Quarterly Review of Film and Video, Taylor and Francis.
Kumar, A., Banerjee, S., & Dutta, P.
(2025). Addressing concerns, providing solutions and building bonds: Radio
Madhuban as an ally of tribal women. Journal of Radio & Audio Media,
Taylor and Francis.
Mane, N., & Dutta, P. (2025). Mastering
Angika Abhinaya: Somatic actor training with Seraikella Chhau. Theatre,
Dance and Performance Training, Taylor and Francis.
Yadav, M., & Dutta, P. (2025). Journalists'
Twitter (X) feeds: Political participation and civility. Pragyaan:
Journal of Mass Communication.
Kumar, A., & Dutta, P. (2024). The
power of vulnerability: Women stand-up comedians' triumph through
self-deprecation. Feminist Media Studies, Taylor and Francis.
Yadav, M., & Dutta, P. (2024). Challenges
of independent journalism in India. Economic and Political Weekly, 59(14),
10–14.
Kumar, A., & Dutta, P. (2023). The
civility crisis: Incivility, impoliteness and the descent of TV news debates in
India. Media Asia, 51(3), Taylor and Francis.
Kandpal, K., & Dutta, P. (2022). Coverage
of maternal health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic: A study of Uttarakhand
in India. Mass Communicator: International Journal of Communication
Studies, 16(2).
Pervez, S., Singh, P. T., & Dutta, P.
(2022). Changing facets of health communication in India: Comparative
analysis of rural and urban women. Shodhsamhita, 8(8), 68–75.
Pervez, S., Dutta, P., & Singh, P. T.
(2021). Transformation of health care system and communication: Impact of
digitization on health communication in India. ANVESAK, 51(1).
Dutta, P. (2020). Living and dying meanings
in Maithali folklore (Book Review). Journal of Human Values, 26(3),
285–286.
Pathak, D. N., & Dutta, P. (2020). An
ordinary trope of compassion: In an anthropology of folk and sociology of lore.
Social Action, 70(1), 1–16.
Dutta, P. (2017). A whistling village. Economic
and Political Weekly, 52(2).
Dutta, P., & Ghosh, J. (2016). (Re)Negotiating
identities through festivals: An account of Khasis and Konyaks. Anthropology
Today.
Dutta, P., & Kikhi, K. (2016). Folk practices of the Khasi tribe: A description of Jingrwai Iawbei in Kongthong village. Sociological Bulletin, 65(2), 237–252, Sage Journal.
Dutta, P. (2015). Digital photography and
anthropological documentation in the context of Northeast India. Global
Media Journal – Indian Edition.