Breaking the Spiral of Silence: An Analysis of the Newspaper Coverage of Deepa P Mohan’s Hunger Strike

Elisabeth Noelle Neumann’s spiral of silence theory states that individuals may not express differing views in a community due to fear of social exclusion and isolation. The theory is applied in the context of caste discrimination experienced by students belonging to Dalit and backward caste in academic institutions. Deep-rooted institutional casteism poses challenges, besides silencing students from these castes. Resisting the dominant discourse happens rarely. A female Dalit PhD scholar from Mahatma Gandhi University launches an indefinite hunger strike against institutional casteism. The print media coverage of the strike is analysed in the background of the spiral of silence theory. The fear of isolation and social exclusion are set aside by the researcher in her fight against caste discrimination. Her differing viewpoints gradually become the dominant narrative. The study demonstrates a clear reversal of the spiral of silence theory.

Download Pdf