Scribd
Upload
37 views

Lecture 3 - ParticipatoryCommunication - 2023

This document discusses theories of participatory development communication and case studies of participatory projects. [1] It outlines how participatory approaches differ from top-down modernization theories in emphasizing local participation, knowledge, and decision-making. [2] Case studies from Kenya, Uganda, and India showcase how participatory communication enabled communities to identify problems and solutions, produce and share media, and engage in dialogue to promote development goals. [3] While participation can empower communities, it also faces challenges in balancing local and outsider interests and neutralizing existing power hierarchies.

Uploaded by

sze wei wang
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
37 views

Lecture 3 - ParticipatoryCommunication - 2023

This document discusses theories of participatory development communication and case studies of participatory projects. [1] It outlines how participatory approaches differ from top-down modernization theories in emphasizing local participation, knowledge, and decision-making. [2] Case studies from Kenya, Uganda, and India showcase how participatory communication enabled communities to identify problems and solutions, produce and share media, and engage in dialogue to promote development goals. [3] While participation can empower communities, it also faces challenges in balancing local and outsider interests and neutralizing existing power hierarchies.

Uploaded by

sze wei wang
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 21

MS7082 Global Communication and

Development

Theories of Development Communication II:


Participatory Theories

Dr Maria Touri, [email protected]


Part 1
Theoretical foundations
3
From Modernization to Participation
Problems with modernization – reminder:

× Top-down: Problems/Solutions were identified at top


levels of governments and development agents.

× Passive: Lack of participation of the community

× Inefficient: Failure of most development projects.

4
From Modernization to Participation
The Latin American School of Thought

× Communities have the necessary info/knowledge


regarding their own situations.

× Communities have fundamental human right to contribute


to their own development.

× Inclusion of communities will draw greater support which


will therefore aid in the achievement of goals.
5
How do citizens
participate in politics,
public life and social
change?
Origins of Participatory Communication
Cicilia Peruzzo’s participation model (1996)

× New social movements in Latin America, 1980s


× Three key perceptions of participation:
× non-participation or passive participation
× controlled participation, e.g. govts asking for citizen input through
consultation forums
× power participation, e.g. citizen access to decision-making on public
policy

(see Tufte, 2017, Chapter 3) 7


Dialogical Pedagogy
Paulo Freire

▪ Dominated/oppressed people must be treated


as fully human subjects in any political process.

▪ Respect for otherness – in this case that of


another human being.

▪ Dialogical communication and education is


paramount to achieve development.
Dialogical Pedagogy
Paulo Freire
The Freirean Method - Conscientization
An ongoing process of dialogue and action that enhances
critical thinking and aims to expose the social contradictions of
unjust power, as well as to develop a critical consciousness of
society that can then be directed toward social change.

The teacher cannot think for his students, nor can he impose
his thought on them. Authentic thinking, thinking that is
concerned about reality, does not take place in ivory tower
isolation, but only in communication (Freire, 1970; 1973).
Participatory Communication
× Participatory communication is a process based on dialogue, among
the various stakeholders.

× It facilitates empowerment through the exchange of information and


the generation of new knowledge (Tufte and Mefalopulos, 2009).

× It should aim to give people “the tools to design, discuss and


implement their own development” (Quarry & Ramirez, 2009, p. 53).

× Development agencies should work with citizens to determine their


needs and to design and implement programs to address these needs,
rather than imposing an intervention on a community (Servaes,
1996).
Participatory Communication

PARTICIPATION COMMUNICATION

× Dialogue between development


× People have access to agencies and people
decisions about their
development and social × Knowledge exchange
change
× Reflection

11
From Modernization to Participatory Communication

FROM TO

× Information dissemination × Dialogue and interaction

× Changing × Facilitating exchanges between


various stakeholders
behaviours/attitudes

× Helping communities identify


× Introducing/imposing their own problems and
solutions to communities solutions
12
Part 2
Practice and Case studies
15
Case Study
International Support Group & Natural
Resource Management

× On-demand support to Kenyan organizations


× Dialogue with farmers, researcher and
extension workers to find joint farming
solutions
× Leadership - Kenyan stakeholders took the
lead in decision-making
× Relations of trust with local stakeholders
(Quarry and Ramirez, 2009) 16
Participatory Communication in Practice
• Selecting a community to work with
• Building on existing relations
Entering the
community • Understanding their context & assessing the situation

• Encouraging the community to participate in the planning process


• Holding informal meetings
Preparing • Explaining the purpose/methods of planning

• Reflecting on problems, aspirations and resources of the community


Planning • Using media and creative methods

• Planning for withdrawal early in the process


• Withdrawal should be phased in gradually
Exiting
Participatory Communication in Practice

Suitable,
two-way
media

Information
exchange

Grassroots
Communication
Case Study: Growing Bananas
Uganda, 2001-2007

× Collaboration between development


researchers and farmers

× Farmers participated actively in:


× problem identification
× production and dissemination of media
content
× monitoring & evaluation
(see Odoi, in Bessette, 2006, pp.129-135) 20
Case Study: Farmer Cooperative, India
Kerala, India, 2014-2017
× Collaboration between researcher and farmers
× Farmers produced their own videos to promote their
cooperative
× Dialogue through videos: Making and watching their own
videos:
× sparked dialogue among farmers – they realised they
could use videos to raise awareness about environmental
protection
× led to confidence and further action – more videos and
21
events (see Touri, 2021)
Types of Participatory Media

Community Photography Drama/Theatre Interpersonal


Video/Radio

23
Participatory Communication:
Limitations

× Participation can be costly for the participants.

× Building human capacity takes time.

× ‘Participation’ is often non- genuine and reduced to a


buzzword.
Participatory Communication:
Limitations
× It is often difficult to neutralise existing power
structures/ hierarchies within the community, or the
power balance between local participants and the
external practitioner(s)/ researcher(s) (Reeves, 2015)
Additional Reading
Servaes, J. (1996). Participatory communication research with
new social movements: A realistic utopia. In J. Servaes, T. L.
Jacobson, & S. A. White (Eds.), Participatory communication for
social change (pp. 82–108). New Delhi, India: Sage.

Reeves, L.S. (2015) Visualizing Participatory Development


Communication in Social Change Processes: Challenging the
Notion that Visual Research Methods are Inherently
Participatory, International Journal of Communication 9: 3327–
3346

You might also like