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Rethinking the definition of participatory video at the interface of theory and practice
Get PDFSince at least the 1960s, participatory video (PV) has aimed to readdress film’s traditional focus on entertainment and the media’s interest in global news with the intention of promoting local and community development. This has usually meant empowering communities to work via consensus to elaborate different audiovisual products which reflect community problems and aspirations in various ways. In the words of Shirley White, author of Participatory Video. Images that Transform and Empower, PV acts as “a powerful force for people to see themselves in relation to the community (…). It brings about a critical awareness that forms the foundation for creativity and communication” (White, 2003: 64). This paper addresses the concept of PV comprehensively by mobilizing critically both academic takes on the subject and the professional views of a variety of practitioners and experts. It aims to outline a number of uses and modes which coexist within PV with the aim of generating a more fruitful discussion on its defining features and the relation between canonical and marginal examples of participatory videomaking. To that effect, our methodological approach combines a literature review (including key works in English as well as theoretical contributions in the field of Latin American critical communication studies) with data obtained from a number of in-depth interviews with experts and experienced practitioners. Three key areas are identified as major elements within a PV experience: process, communication and results. Focusing on the analysis of how productive tensions between participants and facilitators play out in each of these areas, we propose a broad instrumental definition in the hope of contributing to the ongoing theoretical discussion on PV. Finally, the main areas of debate as perceived by video practitioners -format, genre and the role of the Internet- are discussed with a view to establish how these issues are currently being negotiated within the field
Towards a global conversation
Get PDFThe Internet came into the world in earnest a little more than twenty years ago, and it came with a vengeance, criss-crossing the planet with invisible ties of connectedness and seemingly heralding a new era in global communication. From one day to the next, you could correspond with colleagues and friends on the other side of the planet; you could read newspapers from Australia and Botswana; you could join special interest groups and build professional networks. It was an exhilarating time for many of us, one which appeared to hold out a promise of truly global communication for the first time in human history
From ‘Hopeless Continent’ to ‘Africa Rising’: emerging discourses, opportunities and challenges for development communication
Get PDFHow can development communicators position their work in response to new and emerging discourses, and how can they ensure that marginalised voices are heard and impact on decision-making at different levels? What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of communication practice today? How can communication be better evaluated
On seeking and sharing info
Get PDFThere is no doubt we’re living in a time when we expect most things to be available in an instant and with no barriers. When searching the internet for information to support your studies or your research, you want it to be an easy and seamless process, but you’re at risk of stumbling on many steps. Getting access to the information is one of them. Some of the difficulties come from technical and copyright protection issues. Others have to do with library acquisitions\u27 models and the limits of platforms and search systems. A defining aspect of the type of access you can get access is whether or not you belong to an institution, company or organization that can afford to provide a tailored collection of licensed information resources
Broadening our perspectives in communication and in development
Get PDFAs Glocal Times celebrates its tenth year of publication, I applaud the contributions of this journal to ongoing dialogue on communication and development within academic and professional communities. Oscar Hemer and Florencia Enghel have championed an inclusive, interdisciplinary approach to considering the key critical questions that matter to our field. Their explicit attention to integrating research with practice signifies an open framework that includes varied experiences in published conversations, distributed through open access digital formats that strengthen their appeal to broad global constituencies
Communication about communication for development: the rhetorical struggle over the history and future of C4D
Get PDFThere are many different ways of telling the story of the study and practice of communication for development (C4D) over the past ten years. There is clearly a great deal to be said about how social media and mobile technologies have enabled social movements in Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey and elsewhere to mobilise in pursuit of positive social change. From an institutional perspective, we might highlight instead how information, communication and media appears to be gradually achieving a higher profile within the international development community. The most prominent example of this is the potential inclusion of reference to ‘access to information and media’ within the new Sustainable Development goals. There is also a story to be told about the increasing number of postgraduate university courses related to the study of C4D that have been established in the last decade. In the UK, for example, there are now at least eight different postgraduate degree programmes concerned with this subject; signalling a growing appetite amongst students to study these issues
Reflections on a two-week global LinkedIn debate: Community participation for radio financial sustainability
Get PDFA lively debate on (community) radio sustainability took place on the LinkedIn platform, with more than 200 people, from all continents, sharing and discussing simultaneously in English, French and Spanish. The debate was initiated in April 2014 by the communication consultancy CAMECO, run by its team of professionals with supporting translators, and coordinated by the authors of this article for ten days
Diverse Communities, Diverse Media: The 10th OURMedia conference in Goroka, Papua New Guinea
Get PDFThe 10th OURMedia conference was held from 21-25 July 2014 at the University of Goroka (UOG) in Papua New Guinea. The Centre for Social and Creative Media (CSCM), a media research centre of UOG, took the lead in organising the conference. In line with the focus of the CSCM around locally appropriate approaches to research and media production, the conference themes included the theory and practice of alternative and community media, indigenous values and communication for development, mobile and social media, and issues of representation and intellectual property among others. Attended by over 150 scholars and practitioners from over a dozen different countries, who were welcomed by the traditional landowners of Humilaveka[i], OURMedia X was a significant event for understanding community and alternative media in the Pacific. This brief report captures some of the key concepts and ideas discussed at this conference and the contribution it makes to current debates around communication and social change. We predominantly present examples from Papua New Guinea to contextualise some of the keynote presentations and discussions at OURMedia X. [i] Humilaveka is the plateau or area where the University of Goroka is located
Establishing Networks of Change: The Second International Encounter of Graduate Programs in Communication, Development and Social Change
Get PDFThis paper provides a reflection on the second encounter of graduate programs in communication, held in Bogotá on August 26 and 27, 2014 and highlights the University of Guelph’s contribution and initiatives in the field. It explores the perspectives on communication that were reflected throughout the encounter and the processes that facilitated the establishment of “Redecambio”, a network of academic collaboration in this area of knowledge. This encounter proved to be an opportunity to remember history and look to the future with hope and solidarity. Organized as a homage to Bolivian journalist and communication theorist Ramiro Beltrán, his theories and accomplishments were a source of inspirations for the university’s students as well as for the international guests. Beltrán’s Latin American perspectives on communication as an interactive, social and democratic process fostered an environment of dialogue that facilitated international participation and collaboration. Keywords: Communication for development, University of Guelph, engaged learning, Redecambio
Critical perspectives on changing media environments in the Global South
Get PDFThe main aim of this article is to give a general overview and theoretically discuss how significant changes in the media landscapes in Global South countries alter existing spaces and create new spaces for political and socio-cultural exchange, thus changing the complex interrelationship between media and society. Knowing that media is only one of many aspects in current societal changes, the focus will be more on the interrelationship between media and society and less on other aspects like globalization, education and political reforms. At the macro level, the article will discuss how the changes in the media landscape continuously alter the power balance between state, civil society and market. At the meso level, these changes will be discussed in relation to the development of the different media and of a variety of new locally specific media environments, which create new spaces for political and socio-cultural exchange. Finally, at the micro level, the changing patterns of every day media use by ordinary people will be discussed