Fluid Texts and Living Voices: Reciprocal Dynamicity of Aurality, Orality and Textuality in 'Katha' Tradition
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| Title: | Fluid Texts and Living Voices: Reciprocal Dynamicity of Aurality, Orality and Textuality in 'Katha' Tradition |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Amrapali Vyas (ORCID |
| Source: | Literacy. 2026 60(2). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Literacy, Literacy Education, Multiple Literacies, Indigenous Knowledge, Models, Listening, Religion, Learning Modalities |
| Geographic Terms: | India |
| DOI: | 10.1111/lit.70026 |
| ISSN: | 1741-4350 1741-4369 |
| Abstract: | This study investigates "Katha" tradition, particularly "Ram Katha" and "Shrimad Bhagavat," as a dynamic epistemic paradigm that resists binary models of orality and literacy, particularly when visited in contrast to Ong's theory of communication and other theories of 'Great Divide' theses. The literature review explores Great Divide theories, New Literacy Studies (NLS) and the indigeneity of Indian narratology, revealing gaps in Western binary models that overlook Katha's performative, context-driven fluidity. Borrowing from the basic tenets of NLS, like multimodal literacy, hybridity and contextually relevant knowledge, this study proposes an indigenous 'Triadic Recursive Model of Narrative Transmission', based on five vital arguments, namely, active listening ("shravana"), embodied performance, the role of the expositor, multimodal literacy and textual fluidity, which indicate reciprocal and cyclical literacy instead of static and binary inclinations. The research objectives are to explore how the Bhagavat Katha and Ram Katha traditions exemplify a fluid dynamic where aurality, orality and textuality coexist and mutually reinforce each other. The study aims to contest linear and static models by highlighting the participatory, adaptive and recurrent nature of Indian oral storytelling traditions. The inquiry is guided by the following research question: How do the "Bhagavat Katha" and "Ram Katha" function as unique storytelling traditions that exemplify a recurrent and fluid dynamic in which aurality, orality and textuality coexist and mutually reinforce one another? Methodologically, the research is qualitative and exploratory, based on a synthesis of existing secondary sources and of recorded and documented performances. Educators, researchers and practitioners can integrate Katha's "shravana," participatory storytelling and performative activities into classrooms and pedagogies, fostering engagement, empathy, critical thinking and multimodal literacy in hypermedia societies. This study endeavours to highlight the fact that oral traditions such as "Katha" are not rudimentary crafts that are overridden by technology but rather find their significance in contemporary educational, performative and research-oriented contexts. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1507034 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This study investigates "Katha" tradition, particularly "Ram Katha" and "Shrimad Bhagavat," as a dynamic epistemic paradigm that resists binary models of orality and literacy, particularly when visited in contrast to Ong's theory of communication and other theories of 'Great Divide' theses. The literature review explores Great Divide theories, New Literacy Studies (NLS) and the indigeneity of Indian narratology, revealing gaps in Western binary models that overlook Katha's performative, context-driven fluidity. Borrowing from the basic tenets of NLS, like multimodal literacy, hybridity and contextually relevant knowledge, this study proposes an indigenous 'Triadic Recursive Model of Narrative Transmission', based on five vital arguments, namely, active listening ("shravana"), embodied performance, the role of the expositor, multimodal literacy and textual fluidity, which indicate reciprocal and cyclical literacy instead of static and binary inclinations. The research objectives are to explore how the Bhagavat Katha and Ram Katha traditions exemplify a fluid dynamic where aurality, orality and textuality coexist and mutually reinforce each other. The study aims to contest linear and static models by highlighting the participatory, adaptive and recurrent nature of Indian oral storytelling traditions. The inquiry is guided by the following research question: How do the "Bhagavat Katha" and "Ram Katha" function as unique storytelling traditions that exemplify a recurrent and fluid dynamic in which aurality, orality and textuality coexist and mutually reinforce one another? Methodologically, the research is qualitative and exploratory, based on a synthesis of existing secondary sources and of recorded and documented performances. Educators, researchers and practitioners can integrate Katha's "shravana," participatory storytelling and performative activities into classrooms and pedagogies, fostering engagement, empathy, critical thinking and multimodal literacy in hypermedia societies. This study endeavours to highlight the fact that oral traditions such as "Katha" are not rudimentary crafts that are overridden by technology but rather find their significance in contemporary educational, performative and research-oriented contexts. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1741-4350 1741-4369 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/lit.70026 |
