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The Omission of Coercion: A Framing and Source Analysis of the Media Coverage of Religious Conversions in India
John, Arshu ; Neag, Annamária (advisor) ; Lábová, Sandra (referee)
In India, the phenomenon of religious conversion is a deeply political act, rooted in a history of caste discrimination, Hindu nationalism and religious conflicts. Despite a constitutional protection of the freedom of religion, conversions rarely seen as a personal decision, especially when it concerns Hinduism. A pre-Independence, majoritarian resistance to conversions have persisted, and manifested in numerous anti-conversion laws that prescribe a protectionist caution to conversions. Since the election of Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014, Hindu nationalism-or Hindutva-has seen a sharp surge across social, political and public spheres. Under Modi, India has also witnessed a drop in press freedom in the country. This paper studied the media coverage of religious conversions in India during Modi's first term, from May 2014 to May 2019. It adopted a frame analysis and source analysis to study 250 articles from four mainstream English newspapers-Times of India, Indian Express, The Hindu and The Telegraph. The analysis found the 'Conflict' frame and the political elite sources remained most prevalent. However, the analysis also pointed to the role of Hindu nationalism in the media coverage of religious conversions.
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