"In this book, based on the culture-centered approach to social change, we listen to the voices of resistance across the globe that foreground alternative rationalities of social, political, and economic organizing, challenging the hegemony of neoliberal ideology in organizing global economies. Prim
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arily based on the economic substratum of resistance work, the book highlights the discourses, messages, and narratives of change that are articulated by the very people who are rendered invisible by the structures of neoliberalism. Drawing upon earlier work in Communication Studies that outlines the relationships between the discursive and material processes of resistance, the voices in this book engage with the possibilities of transformative politics as embodied in the agentic expression of those across the globe who are participating in varied forms of collective actions in order to be recognized and to resist the unequal policies promoted by neoliberalism. Drawing upon the Subaltern Studies framework, on one hand, the book begins with the key concepts of deconstruction that are embodied in the critical communication literature; on the other hand, the deconstructive turn is seen as an opening for engaging with the positive sites of transformative politics that depict subaltern struggles for recognition and representation." (Preface, pix-x)
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"In the twenty-first century, community radio is fulfilling an increasingly important role in the world’s mediascape. This book documents the ways in which community radio broadcasters and activists are using the medium in countries around the world to challenge political corruption, aid the trans
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ition to political democracy and broadcast voices that are otherwise unheard. The contributors to the volume are academics and practitioners from five continents, many with first-hand experience of community radio. Each chapter demonstrates the pivotal role that small radio stations can play in developing, sustaining and invigorating communities. The book charts campaigns for the legalisation of community radio and relates them to a theoretical context, while providing illustrations and examples from community radio stations around the world." (Publisher description)
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"In what ways can mediated transnational protests express, however emergently or imperfectly, «global civil society» and «global citizenship»? How, in an increasingly fragmented and multilayered communications environment, can they contribute to a «global public sphere»? This book explores the
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se and other major questions, examining protests and their transactions within and through today’s complex circuits of communications and media worldwide. With contributions from leading theorists and researchers, this cutting-edge collection discusses protests focusing on war and peace, economy and trade, ecology and climate change, as well as political struggles for civil and human rights, including the Arab uprisings. At its core is a desire to better understand activists’ innovative uses of media and communications within a rapidly changing media environment, and how this is altering relations of communication power around the globe." (Publisher description)
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"This book is an anthology of work by critical media scholars, media makers, and activists who are committed to advancing social justice. Topics addressed include but are not limited to international media activist projects such as the Right to Communication movement and its corollaries; the importa
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nce of listening and enacting policies that advance democratic media; regional and local media justice projects; explorations of the challenges the era of participatory media pose to public media; youth and minority media projects and activism; ethical dilemmas posed by attempts to democratize access to media tools; the continued marginalization of feminist perspectives in international policy venues; software freedom and intellectual property rights; video activism in both historical and contemporary contexts; internet strategies for defending dissenting voices; and five accounts by prominent scholar/activists of their lifelong struggles for media justice." (Publisher description)
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"Media activism groups work to bring about change in the mainstream media, but their gains are often limited. Drawing on theories of the political function of news in a democracy, media sociology, and feminism, this article focuses on the specific experience of Gender Links, a Southern African gende
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r and media organization founded in 2001. An analysis of institutional materials and 25 in-depth interviews shows that Gender Links is using a professional-technical approach to feminist media activism that is insufficient in bringing about deep and long-term change on an ideological level. It is suggested that Gender Links could benefit from more emphasis on political and countercultural approaches. The research also highlights some of the other dilemmas posed by issues related to funding, networking, the grassroots, press freedom, the profit motive, and the strong backlash from a patriarchal culture." (Abstract)
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"With contributions from an international team of well-known experts, media activists, and promising young scholars, this comprehensive volume examines community-based media from theoretical, empirical, and practical perspectives. More than 30 original essays provide an incisive and timely analysis
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of the relationships between media and society, technology and culture, and communication and community. Key Features: provides vivid examples of community and alternative media initiatives from around the world; explores a wide range of media institutions, forms, and practices—community radio, participatory video, street newspapers, Independent Media Centers, and community informatics; offers cutting-edge analysis of community and alternative media with original essays from new, emerging, and established voices in the field; takes a multidimensional approach to community media studies by highlighting the social, economic, cultural, and political significance of alternative, independent, and community-oriented media organizations; enters the ongoing debates regarding the theory and practice of community media in a comprehensive and engaging fashion." (Publisher description)
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"This article analyzes the strategies and the impact of two ‘media movements’ in Latin America — the experiences of civic coalitions working on media policy reform in Uruguay, and advocacy journalism about tobacco control in Argentina — through interviewing the principle actors involved in t
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hese movements and reviewing the literature relevant to them. Media movements refer to a broad set of civic initiatives to transform media structures, practices, and content. The analysis aims to discuss the goals and tactics of civic actions to promote media democracy. The cases show a critical yet pragmatic sensitivity among progressive actors who use advocacy and legislative mechanisms to catalyze changes in media systems. The article has three implications for the study of global media democracy. First, to assess the impact of media movements, it is necessary to understand the press as a field that ‘refracts’ the influence of external forces. The successes and setbacks of media movements suggest the need to understand the conditions that make the media susceptible to civic efforts. Second, the findings bolster the case for conceptualizing the role of the state as an arena for competing interests struggling to influence media systems. Third, the state remains a crucial actor for media democracy in a globalized world. Key decisions affecting media structures and news content remain closely linked to the state." (Abstract)
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"This chapter reviews historical and contemporary advocacy journalism in a global context, and identifies future directions for research. The intention is not to offer a comprehensive survey, a rather ambitious scope given the diversity of journalistic practices worldwide, but rather to review conce
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ptual definitions and historical developments to locate advocacy journalism as a specific form of journalistic practice." (Abstract)
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"La Caravana Ciudadana es una propuesta metodológica de comunicación que busca incentivar el aprendizaje y la experiencia de participación de la ciudadanía. Es un espectáculo de participación itinerante que aprovecha los espacios de encuentro y comunicación como plazas, calles, mercados, pati
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os de escuelas, para organizar un conjunto de actividades interactivas e innovadoras que los transformen en espacios de acceso a información de calidad, de promoción de la expresión y el debate públicos, de fortalecimiento de la autoestima; con la perspectiva de desarrollar opiniones y propuestas ciudadanas que se transformen en insumos para la incidencia sobre las autoridades de la localidad. La Caravana Ciudadana puede ser un recurso útil para que docentes y estudiantes movilicen la opinión de la comunidad educativa en torno a temas que consideran claves y para ello pueden usar los escenarios del interior de la escuela o tomar los espacios públicos de su localidad." (Página 1)
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"Section 1 focuses on campaign strategies. Mats Abrahamsson, a former Greenpeace campaign coordinator and founder of the Swedish consultancy Selene, shows you: how to develop a strategic framework for campaigning that helps campaigners choose the activities that can best meet their objectives and av
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oid rushing into activities that misuse time and resources (Section 1.1); how to conduct a “power analysis” that identifies the powers at play and how they interact in order to deploy limited resources where they can have the greatest impact (Section 1.2); how a Greenpeace campaign convinced Coca-Cola to stop using ozone-destroying chemicals in all its refrigeration equipment (Section 1.3). Section Two shows an example of an IFEX member – the Media Institute of Southern Africa – that has realised the need to build on, and go beyond, the issuing of alerts by developing a strategic vision for defending freedom of expression (chapter 7). Section Three provides 10 campaign tools that IFEX members can use to compliment the issuing of alerts. These tools can be used separately or in combination with each other as part of a campaign. Each tool comprises: a toolbox of tips, ideas and questions to consider; a best practice case study of an IFEX member or other organisation that has successfully used the campaign tool; a list of resources for further information." (Page 7)
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"This toolkit is divided into two key sections. Section One - defines the conceptual issues on gender and media advocacy; looks at why the media should be a focus of gender and feminist activism; highlights the key issues for gender and media advocacy using the findings of the Global Media Monitorin
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g Project (GMMP) 2005; and discusses the various target audiences key to achieve change. Section Two - provides the tactical information on the steps, tools and strategies that are useful in gender and media advocacy; provides tips and pointers on how to engage with the media and how to put gender on the news agenda. Information boxes, case studies and discussion points are provided in the various chapters. At the end of each Section, the user will find a glossary of key terms used in the chapters, and a summary of the key pointers and issues that have emerged from the chapters." (Page 6)
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"Culture Jamming ist „Anti-Werbung“ – eine mentale Umweltschutzbewegung, die gegen einen Dauerbeschuss mit 4.000 Werbebotschaften täglich kämpft. Es ist eine subversive Methode, die sich der elaborierten Techniken der Werbebranche bedient, um die Strategie der Markenkommunikation zu durchkre
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uzen, die Konsumkultur zu blockieren und eine verbraucherorientierte Gegenöffentlichkeit zu schaffen. Die Aktivisten dieser Bewegung sind die Adbusters (ad: advertisement, Werbung; to bust: auffliegen lassen). Adbusting ist die von Kalle Lasn begründete, praktische Umsetzung des Culture-Jamming-Gedankens: die Untergrabung der Werbeindustrie mit ihren eigenen Mitteln. Werbespots und Plakate, die die Sprache der Werbeindustrie perfekt beherrschen, ihre Semantik jedoch komplett umkehren, sind der virtuelle Sprengstoff der Culture-Jamming-Bewegung. Gegründet in Kanada, ist diese Art der Globalisierungskritik nicht nur in den USA, sondern längst auch in Europa bekannt, aktiv und erfolgreich. Culture Jamming ist ein Pamphlet gegen die Global Players." (Klappentext)
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"Chapter 1 defines ‘alternative and activist media’, and considers the need for non-mainstream publications. It introduces the populations who seek out or create alternative media: socially marginalised or dissenting groups, subcultures and others who inhabit liminal spaces, and people who want
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access to information not available through the mass media. It will also examine the ‘information for action’ orientation of much alternative media, which places it in opposition to the mass media’s ‘information for consumption’. Chapter 2 puts the emergence and persistence of alternative and activist media in context, calling into question media analysis that looks strictly at mass media, and posing the possibility and reality of counterhegemonic actions and actors. It includes an overview of key theorists as regards alternative media and media activism. Chapter 3 looks specifically at media participation and consumption by marginalised audiences. The following five chapters look at alternative and activist media formats and rationales in the realms of radio, video, film, print, and digital media, concentrating on real-world practices and projects. In Chapter 9, the border between alternative and activist media and the mass media is probed, revealing areas of contention, reflection, and recuperation. Chapter 10 concludes this exploration with a look at the future, based on an examination of current trends and technologies." (Preface, page ix)
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"¿Cuál es su idea del rol que los medios de comunicación comunitarios deben jugar en su comunidad? ¿Qué podrían hacer en su barrio si tuvieran acceso a los medio? Si pudieran hablar y ser oídos por los dueños de los medios, que les dirían? ¿Qué les gustaría mirar, producir y distribuir?
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¿Qué tipo de normas pondrían para asegurar que el medio de comunicación esté al servicio de la gente, toda la gente? Estas grandes interrogantes y la tarea de transformar los medios es una lucha difícil y de largo aliento. Pero hay muchas cosas que pueden hacer para tener un impacto significativo en su comunidad y país. En este manual, ustedes encontrarán información sobre algunas de las muchas campañas organizadas por la justicia en los medios, sus políticas y educación existentes en los Estados Unidos. Esta guía se divide en cuatro capítulos. El Capítulo 1 entrega información sobre cómo funcionan los medios hoy en día, quiénes son los dueños, las normas que los regulan y las organizaciones que están trabajando para cambiar esto. El Capítulo 2 aborda temas más concretos de la organización comunitaria: cómo reclutar a la gente, cómo organizar su grupo, dirigir las reuniones, etc. En el Capítulo 3 hay una guía para investigar sobre sus medios, y en el Capítulo 4 hay varias guías sobre acciones que se pueden tomar." (Página 4)
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"This book aims to record political activism on the Internet and "take stock of some of the successes and failures of cyberactivists as they try to beat the various censorship regimes in Asia." The sections of this 664-page book comprise of 'Political Frameworks & New Technology', 'Regulations and C
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ontrol', 'One Party States', 'Alternative Media', 'Civil Society', 'Diaspora Communities', and 'Political Parties'. The book's 18 chapters provide an overview of current trends in democracy related new media research to country-specific case studies. "The common thread running through the book is the organizing of civil society groups at the grassroots level, and how they are influencing certain segments of their respective countries, and even challenging state control and the monopoly of mainstream media." Asian Cyberactivism strives to examine political organising online in Asia even as the technology and the rules change. Activists provide their perspectives on how new media relates to democracy, and showcase examples that could be emulated to further the cause of democracy." (Communication Initiative)
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