MICA to host a post-doc fellow with a prestigious grant from the southern centre

Ahmedabad: Strengthening its ties with international institutions, MICA, Ahmedabad, India's premier management school for Strategic Marketing and Communications, will host a post-doctoral fellow having a prestigious grant from the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg.

As part of the research grant, Dr. Sai Amulya Komarraju, 31, a post-doctorate fellow from the University of Hyderabad, will examine the experiences of male workers in a highly feminized profession such as domestic and salon work.

She is currently the sector leader (salon services) at FemLab.Co, an IDRC-funded initiative that examines the challenges faced by women workers in the informal sector to suggest appropriate policy and design interventions.

Prof. Manisha Pathak Shelat, Chair, Center for Development Management & Communication (CDMC), MICA, said, "Research and publication are key areas of CDMC impact. We are excited to have Amulya with us. Her association with CDMC strengthens our bonds with three important institutions of repute: Erasmus University, Amsterdam, University of Hyderabad, and the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS) at the University of Witswatersrand, a leading policy institute that fosters innovative research on the role of digital technologies in reshaping the world of work(ers) in the global South. Together, we will contribute to a highly relevant area of research on gender, digital technology, and work."

While we have had post-doc fellows in the past, this is for the first time we are hosting a post-doc fellow with an external grant, Prof.Shelat added.

Sharing insights about her work, Dr. Sai Amulya said, "Building on my role at FemLab as research leader for salon work, I applied to the SCIS grant to enquire about male workers' experiences in feminized professions of salon and domestic work (within and outside the platform economy). This is an important dimension because both men and women from marginalized castes and classes have historically performed care work. While most research is on women workers in care-work, it is crucial to examine what men’s presence in the sector means for women.”

She added, "MICA-CDMC is renowned for its research in the area of development communication and its collaboration with academics from across the world. I could not have asked for a better home for this project since given the shared values of social impact and sustainability."

Her project titled, 'When feminization reaches the platform: Men in care professions and the future of work(ers)' will look at how men's involvement in this work eases the familial and societal barriers women face regarding access to both technologies and work.

Additionally, it would also contribute to an understanding of alternative models of masculinity and the kind of marginalization male workers in these professions face on account of not performing dominant/hegemonic masculinity.

With a focus on the gendered (micro) politics of everyday life, Dr. Amulya’s work features in international journals such as feminist media studies and media, culture, & society. Her research and teaching interests include feminist media studies, future of work(ers) and platformization, ethical AI & feminist design, critical masculinities in South Asia, and qualitative research-particularly patchwork research and ethnography.

Established in 1991, MICA is the first residential institute in the country and perhaps in the Asia-Pacific region, dedicated to creating Leadership in Strategic Marketing and Communication.

Its spirit lies in its grasping of contemporariness, addressing the needs of an ever-changing environment. The MICA brand assures effective delivery of Strategic Marketing and Communication solutions to the industry, government and community.

Today, it is the alma mater of professionals serving in leadership positions in some of the best-known companies in India and the world, in marketing, brand management, research & analytics, advertising, media, digital and other strategic marketing and communication-driven businesses.