Prof. Abirlal Mukherjee
Prof. Abirlal Mukherjee
| Occupation | Professor, Mentor, Researcher, Editor and Educational Leader |
| Known For | Introducing Virolinguistics, Viromemeology, Pioneering Internet Linguistics, Digital Humanities |
| Nationality | Indian, originally from West Bengal |
| Education | Bankura University, Birmingham City University, GITAM University |
| Research Areas | Digital Education, Digital Andragogy, LMS and AI, Internet Linguistics, Internet Memes, Digital Culture, Viromemeology, Digital Rights, Digital Humanities |
Prof. Abirlal Mukherjee is an Indian academic, researcher, educator, and institutional founder whose work focuses on digital humanities, internet linguistics, memetics, digital education, and online culture. He is known for introducing the concepts of Viromemeology and Virolinguistics and has contributed to scholarship on internet memes, multimodal discourse, digital rights, and digital education.
His research spans internet linguistics, digital culture, social media discourse, multimodal communication, digital education, and human rights. He has worked extensively on understanding internet memes as complex multimodal artefacts and has proposed Viromemeology as a framework for analysing digital virality.
Academic Career
Mukherjee has served in academic, research, editorial, and institutional leadership roles across universities, research organisations, and international initiatives. He has been associated with Amity University, GITAM University, IISc Bengaluru, the University of Helsinki, Teach For India, and several global educational and digital governance initiatives.
Research
His research examines internet memes, viral communication, digital discourse, multimodality, online participation, and digital culture. His doctoral research develops the field of Viromemeology, focusing on the visual semantics and pragmatics of internet memes.
Institution Building
- Universal Digital Education Initiatives (UDEI)
- Association of Digital Universities (ADU)
- Digital University Ranking (DUR)
- Learners’ University
- Digital Humanities Alliance (DHA)
- Environmental Humanities Alliance (EHA)
- Indian Internet Observatory (IIO)
Mentorship
Mukherjee has mentored students and early-career scholars through initiatives including Resolution Fellowship, Afghans for Progressive Thinking, Bahujan Economists Admission Abroad Program, Savitribai Phule Resource Centre, e-Vidyaloka, ConnectPlus Education, and several educational outreach programmes.
Selected Publications
- Lol in the Classroom: Internet Memes as Multimodal Tools for Language Teaching (2025)
- Reimagining Singlehood in Urban India Through Intersectional Narratives and Support Systems (2025)
- Condition of Liberal and Multidisciplinary Research in Indian Universities (2024)
- Syntax (2021)
- Guide to Human Rights (2021)
Conference Presentations
Mukherjee has presented research at international conferences hosted by institutions and organisations including the University of Helsinki, University of Denver, Birmingham University, IIIT Hyderabad, Manipal University Jaipur, Christ University, ICA, and other academic forums.
Research Interests
- Internet Linguistics
- Viromemeology
- Memetics
- Digital Humanities
- Digital Education
- Digital Rights
- Human Rights
- Social Media Studies