Towards a renaissance in communication for social change redefining the discipline and practice in the Post ‘Arab Spring’ Era1

Worldwide, we have experienced a resurgence in practices of bottom-up communication for social change, a plethora of agency in which voice, citizenship and collective action have centre stage as core values, principles and practices. This resurgence sparks a series of questions; How are these new calls for social change and their principles and communicative practices influencing and informing the thinking and practice of institutionalized communication for development and social change? And what are the underlying conceptual differences in the notions of action, participation and social change which inform the new generation of social movements, on one side, and the established field of communication for social change, on the other? These are the questions that drive this chapter

Towards a renaissance in communication for social change redefining the discipline and practice in the Post ‘Arab Spring’ Era1

Worldwide, we have experienced a resurgence in practices of bottom-up communication for social change, a plethora of agency in which voice, citizenship and collective action have centre stage as core values, principles and practices. This resurgence sparks a series of questions; How are these new calls for social change and their principles and communicative practices influencing and informing the thinking and practice of institutionalized communication for development and social change? And what are the underlying conceptual differences in the notions of action, participation and social change which inform the new generation of social movements, on one side, and the established field of communication for social change, on the other? These are the questions that drive this chapter

Más allá de perspectivas miopes en el estudio de las audiencias. Investigaciones etnográficas de audiencias no-occidentales en la era digital: el caso africano

Este artículo propone la descolonización y provincialización de la investigación de las audiencias. Las tendencias actuales de la investigación de audiencias reflejan la dominancia de un discurso anglosajón y el uso de conceptos que emergen de realidades anglosajonas particulares. En este texto, se presentan y analizan estudios de otras regiones, África y América Latina en especial, que ofrecen otras ideas y retan a lo que se denominaría miopía dentro de los estudios de audiencia. La miopía se refiere tanto al enfoque empírico, como a la naturaleza de la producción de conocimiento, que emergen de los estudios contemporáneos de audiencias. Este artículo busca ir más allá de la documentación y celebración de la diversidad dentro de la investigación de audiencias globales. A partir de las nociones de epistemología del sur, epistemología de la ceguera y ver de Boaventura de Sousa Santos, se defiende una sensibilidad, amplitud y matices en la producción del conocimiento que puedan contribuir a una comprensión verdaderamente global del público en la era digital

Memoria de agencia, participación y resistencia. Hacia una dimensión diacrónica de la Comunicación para el Cambio Social

En este artículo el autor reflexiona sobre el modo en que el trabajo de la memoria (memory work) puede incorporarse como una nueva dimensión en la investigación y en la práctica de la comunicación para el desarrollo y el cambio social. A menudo se pasa por alto que la memoria constituye un recurso oculto en la comunicación para el cambio social. Aquí se propone una dimensión diacrónica, con tres vertientes, para la investigación y práctica de la comunicación para el desarrollo y el cambio social. Se reconoce que la memoria pública es, al tiempo, una estrategia retórica (Phillips 2014) y una estrategia política (Olesen 2014) así como la necesidad de estar atentos a los desafíos de la traducción del pasado en un presente significativo por completo (Mbembe 2001). Estas tres vertientes constituyen escalones, tanto en la planificación de estrategias de comunicación para el cambio social como en la comprensión de su dinámica y potencial. Esta dimensión diacrónica puede resultar una vía útil para profundizar nuestra comprensión de lo que realmente ha sucedido con la “erupción” de los movimientos sociales en los últimos años

African youth, media and civic engagement

Speaking Up and Talking Back? Media, Empowerment and Civic Engagement among East and Southern African Youth. This is the title we have given to the book. The fundamental aim is to question if and how citizens in Africa engage with media and communication technologies and platforms in their pursuit to be included in the change processes of their societies. The theme echoes some of the claims made by disenchanted and frustrated youth and other citizens in the streets of the North African cities of Tunis and Cairo in 2012. Severe critiques were articulated against the governance structures of their countries; mass social mobilisations were seen, governments fell, and in the aftermath, the slow process of deep change continued, now with one tyran less, but still with huge challenges in the social and economic development of these countries. Youth in particular engaged massively, visibly, loudly and dramatically around claims to be involved and included in their countries’ development process. Our book taps into the less visible and dramatic, but nevertheless highly dynamic and influential process of media development and enlargement of youth-driven, deliberative spaces which sub-Saharan Africa seems currently to experience

Marco analítico para el aprovechamiento de tecnologías de información y comunicación. Diagnóstico en organizaciones gubernamentales y de la sociedad civil en México

Este artículo tiene como objetivo proponer un marco analítico para el aprovechamiento de las TIC en organizaciones gubernamentales y de la sociedad civil con fines sociales, el cual se integró a través de estudios y encuestas previas. Este marco sirvió de base para el análisis de los datos derivados de una encuesta en línea aplicada a 203 organizaciones mexicanas centradas en el desarrollo de los jóvenes. Los hallazgos muestran el nivel de aprovechamiento de las TIC con relación a tres niveles de uso (básico, intermedio y alto) y 11 dimensiones. Se encuentra que los usos de las TIC se aprovechan principalmente con fines administrativos y de difusión y en menor medida para potenciar sus capacidades para responder a las problemáticas sociales que atienden. El estudio genera conocimiento sobre organizaciones que son agentes claves para el desarrollo y el cambio social y es una propuesta replicable para otras organizaciones y contextos. The objective of this paper is to propose an analytical framework for the use of ICT in governmental and civil society organizations for social development, which was integrated through the review of previous studies and surveys. Data from an online survey applied to 203 mexican organizations focused on the development of young people were analyzed based on this framework. The findings show the level of use of ICT in relation to three levels of use (basic, intermediate and high) and 11 dimensions. It is found that the use of ICTs is mainly for administrative and dissemination purposes and to a lesser extent to enhance their capacities to respond to the social problems they address. This study generates knowledge about these organizations which are key actors for development and social change. Addtionally, this proposal is replicable in other organizations and contexts.</div

A visão de desenvolvimento e mudança social de Freire: experiências do passado, desafios do presente e perspectivas para o futuro

This article proposes to view Freire’s thinking as a model or even paradigm of communication, development, and social change. To build this as an original argument, we firstly outline Freire’s ontological call, presenting and discussing his underlying five principles. Secondly, we trace Freire’s legacy by presenting and discussing how Freire inspired three significant Ibero-American thinkers, Augusto Boal, Juan Díaz Bordenave, and Boaventura de Sousa Santos. Finally, we deepen our analysis of Freire’s vision of communication, development, and social change, unpacking how he navigates between a normative vision grounded in a utopian aspiration for change, and a very systematic and rigorous methodology, his liberating pedagogy

Voice Matter Communication, Development and the Cultural Return

Voice Matter Communication, Development and the Cultural Retur

Freire’s vision of development and social change: Past experiences, present challenges and perspectives for the future

This article proposes to view Freire’s thinking beyond a pedagogical method and rather as a model or even paradigm of development and social change. To build this as an original argument we firstly outline Freire’s ontological call, presenting and discussing his underlying five principles, of which one in particular, dialogue, situates Freirean thinking within communication theory. Secondly, we trace Freire’s legacy by presenting and discussing how Freire inspired three significant Ibero-American thinkers and practitioners within performing arts (Augusto Boal), communication (Juan Diaz Bordenave) and epistemology of change (Boaventura de Sousa Santos). This analysis underscores Freire’s significant legacy along global intellectual pathways both within humanities and social sciences. Finally, we deepen our analysis of Freire’s vision of development and social change, unpacking how he navigates between a normative vision grounded in a utopian aspiration for change, and a very systematic and rigorous methodology, his liberating pedagogy

De-constructing participatory communication and civil society development in 2020: a perspective inspired by Paulo Freire

This article explores the “mindprint” of Paulo Freire upon processes of social change in Brazil, with a particular focus on how his liberating pedagogy has influenced practices of participatory communication and civil society development. In exploring the legacy of Freire, his work is approached from the perspective of communication. This constitutes an original contribution as it positions Freire’s work within a communication epistemology and his vision as one of communication. A brief rigorous review is conducted of the history and development of citizen engagement in Brazil from the 1950s until 2020, identifying key phases of democratic development, and the legacy of Freire herein assessed. It is found that rather than representing specific policies or formal educational projects, Paulo Freire has become a key symbol and inspiration that has influenced a broad gamut of civil society, and continues, in a variety of forms and contexts, to inspire social change processes in Brazil