Feminists’ vlogs: Assamese diaspora, identity and cultural memories

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore the representation of vlogs comprising diaspora festivals, food and culture by NRI Assamese women vloggers and how their vlogs shape Assamese diaspora. The study aims to explore vlogs as a digital platform for storytelling about cultural memories and source of knowledge for the future generation among diaspora community. With the theoretical lens of postfeminist media culture and imagined communities, the study locates the idea how geographically dispersed female individuals can still feel a sense of unity and belonging to a nation or community despite never meeting most of its members. The article employs qualitative content analysis to study the visual narratives of Assamese identity through vlogs. Thematic analysis of reels on food and culture posted by five female Assamese NRIs namely Kimi Kalita, Mishkha Sharma, Ross Baruah, Priyanka Borah and Chef B&B’s kitchen has been studied with the application of Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis for an in depth understanding of the content and context of traditional practices. The key findings show that the use of Assamese language as the medium of online communication helps the creators in creating cultural connection across the geographical borders.