Project Nirbhaya
Professor of International Studies and Asian Politics: Dr. Nalanda Roy
Project Nirbhaya Statement of Purpose
The project Exploring the Culture of Digital Resistance in India: The Nirbhaya Effect will offer a micro-level analysis of the consequences of violence following the Nirbhaya tragedy. The project’s primary objective is to educate the public, policymakers, and academics about the consequences of civil resistance and to make them understand concepts such as mobilization, resilience, and leverage, which is central to understanding the dynamics of civil resistance. Vision is to give the voice of Nirbhaya space and show the world how the power of nonviolence is able to promote peace and ensure justice for women.
The Nirbhaya Tragedy
In 2012 a 23-year old female was brutally gang-raped by six other passengers riding in a private bus in Delhi. Although she managed to survive the initial assault, she eventually succumbed to her injuries thirteen days later. Since publishing a rape victim’s name is illegal in India, the victim was called Nirbhaya, or fearless. Often regarded as India’s Arab Spring, the “Nirbhaya case” was marked by unprecedented public outrage on the ground and on social media, and an immediate backlash against the government.
Project Nirbhaya Timeline
Project Nirbhaya is in progress. Papers, conference proceedings, photos, and additional materials will be posted to this collection as research progresses. Literature review, field trips, data analysis and drafting for publication will be active through 2020.
The Goal of Project Nirbhaya
The goal of this project is to explore how digital devices and platforms contributed to the processes of civil resistance that unfolded after the Nirbhaya case study. This peace research project seeks to identify how applications and access to social media platforms enable the creation of self-forming, self-organizing resistance movements capable of sharing alternative discourses in advocating for diverse social agendas. After all, widespread participation and a networked environment increases the likelihood of the success of campaigns of nonviolent resistance and shapes the individual’s identity and awareness as an activist and the relationship to both power and resistance.
Project Nirbhaya Research Archive
This research archive will collect the research papers, oral history recordings, and photos produced by Project Nirbhaya.
