Author ORCID Identifier
Ashutosh Jha: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0682-9648
Abstract
This teaching case explores the journey of Sakhi Bahinpa, a women-led digital community rooted in the Maithili language and culture. Initially founded as a Facebook group, Sakhi Bahinpa grew into a decentralized network of over 40,000 women across India and abroad. Drawing on insights from a five-year longitudinal study involving in-depth data collection and field engagement, the case provides a grounded narrative of grassroots digital organizing by and for women in a vernacular context. The case offers a rich context to examine: (i) how regional-language communities leverage digital infrastructures for identity-building and social mobilization; (ii) the informal leadership and decentralized organizing strategies that sustain long-term engagement in women-led movements; (iii) the socio-technical affordances and constraints of digital tools in low-resource, culturally specific environments; and (iv) the intersection of gender, technology, and culture in shaping digitally mediated community trajectories. The case and accompanying teaching note are suited for undergraduate and postgraduate students in courses such as Information Systems, Digital Platforms and Development, Gender and Technology, and Social Entrepreneurship, offering rich insights into participatory digital innovation and culturally grounded empowerment.
DOI
10.17705/1CAIS.05722
Recommended Citation
Jha, A. (2025). Digital Infrastructures for Cultural Revival and Collective Empowerment in Sakhi Bahinpa. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 57, 553-567. https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.05722
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