Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture
Abstract
This research aims to fill the vacuum in the literature on the role of public communication campaigns in the Arab Gulf. It provides detailed qualitative data about the history and sociology of media, public communication and public relations in social change in the Arab Gulf societies. The paper aims to frame a historical and sociological background of media and public communication campaigns that aim at promoting social change and development in the Arab Gulf. It contributes to the global picture of the role of public communication in the Arab Gulf culture. The article begins with a background to the concepts of social change, participation, and social responsibility in the Islamic and Arabic culture. Then, it discusses the challenge of modernisation in the Arab Gulf and the rationales for the launch of public communication campaigns. After that, it provides a brief history of media and its role in promoting social change in the Arab Gulf. Finally, the research provides a historical background of social change campaigns in the Arab Gulf. This is achieved by reviewing literature in two linked areas: a review of the national campaigns in the Arab Gulf, and a discussion of the role of voluntary associations in promoting social change in the Arab Gulf societies
