Mohan Dutta

Mohan J. Dutta is a communication scholar based in New Zealand. He is Dean's Chair Professor of Communication at Massey University and director of the Center for Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation (CARE). His work develops a culture-centred approach to communication that partners with marginalised communities in health and social policy contexts.

Education Dutta studied agricultural engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. He completed a master's degree in mass communication at North Dakota State University and a Ph.D. in mass communication at the University of Minnesota.

Research and public engagement Dutta's research examines communication, health inequities and social justice. He is known for the culture-centred approach, which places community voice at the centre of research and policy design.

Controversies In September 2025, after the assassination of U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Dutta posted several comments on social media. On X (formerly Twitter) he wrote, "Charlie Kirk is a white supremacist far right figure. That there was an attempt to pay homage to him in the NZ parliament should give you ...", and urged followers to "challenge the white supremacist propaganda turning the white supremacist Charlie Kirk into a martyr and a promoter of free speech". The comments drew criticism from some New Zealand figures, including National MP Joseph Mooney, and prompted media coverage calling the remarks inflammatory. Dutta defended his posts as commentary on white supremacist politics and said he opposed violence.

Kirk's assassination, which occurred on 10 September 2025 during an event in Utah, sparked global political reaction and a disinformation wave documented by international media. Coverage also noted wider disputes over speech following the killing.

Selected works Dutta's books include Communicating Health: A Culture-Centered Approach, Communicating Social Change: Structure, Culture, and Agency, Neoliberal Health Organizing, and Imagining India in Discourse: Meaning, Power, Structure.

Podcasts

Interventions from the Global South (host)