Aizawl/Singapore, July 17, 2025: Krishna Priya, a Ph.D scholar from the Department of Mass Communication, Mizoram University, has been conferred the 2025 Urban Communication Award by the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) at its annual conference held at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.
She received the award for her paper titled “Spatial Practices of Girl Children in Chennai’s Resettlement Areas through Photovoice”, submitted under the Gender and Communication Section (GEN). Along with the international recognition, she was awarded a monetary prize of USD 600.
The IAMCR selection committee lauded Priya’s innovative use of Photovoice, a participatory research method that enables marginalized communities to express their lived experiences through photography. Her work was praised for its academic depth and real-world relevance.
Her doctoral research explores “Communication and Spatial Practices in Everyday Lives of Women in Chennai’s Resettlement Areas”, with a focus on Kannagi Nagar and Ezhil Nagar. Drawing from Henri Lefebvre’s theory of urban space, Priya investigates how forced evictions and gentrification have disproportionately impacted girl children in these urban peripheries. Her findings reveal how gendered social norms confine girls to domestic spaces under the guise of safety, sharply limiting their mobility and access to public spaces.
“Everyday space is an uneven gendered process,” her abstract states, highlighting how societal and familial controls shape girls’ spatial experiences differently than boys’. Her research not only documents these injustices but also captures moments of resistance and resilience among the young girls.
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This recognition by IAMCR, a leading global body in media and communication research, brings national pride to Mizoram University and places a spotlight on issues of gendered urban marginalization in India.
University officials and faculty members have congratulated Ms. Priya, hailing her achievement as a significant academic milestone that underscores the power of socially engaged research.
