scholarly journals Indigenous journalism, media innovation, and social change: A review of previous research and call for more critical approaches

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-206
Author(s):  
Niamh Ní Bhroin ◽  
Stine Sand ◽  
Torkel Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Indigenous Voice ◽  
Critical Approaches ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Technological Affordances ◽  
Analytical Approaches ◽  
And Diffusion

Abstract Indigenous journalism can facilitate the inclusion of Indigenous voices in the public sphere, thereby contributing to social change. Contemporary Indigenous journalism is in part facilitated by the introduction and diffusion of paradigmatic media innovations, including the Internet, mobile technology, and social media. Based on a literature review, we investigate how media innovations are understood to facilitate Indigenous journalism and find that few empirical studies directly address this question. Analyses of Indigenous journalism, reaching beyond the potential for increased access to media and for amplification of Indigenous voice, are lacking. Furthermore, little research investigates how the appropriation of new technological affordances influence the production of Indigenous journalism. Our review also indicates that while Indigenous political participation can be facilitated by media innovation, these innovations can also serve to reinforce existing power relations. We submit that more critical analytical approaches are required to investigate how media innovations might facilitate the potential of Indigenous journalism for social change.

The NGOization of Space: Dilemmas of Social Change, Planning Policy, and the Israeli Public Sphere

10.1068/d459t ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 745-758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haim Yacobi
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Critical Reading ◽  
Production Of Space ◽  
The Public ◽  
Planning Policy ◽  
Strategic Goals ◽  
The Public Sphere

This paper offers a critical analysis of the role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that deal with planning policy in general and in Israel in particular. The inherent dilemmas of the different NGOs' tactics and strategies in reshaping the public sphere are examined, based on a critical reading of Habermas's conceptualization of the public sphere. The main objective of this paper is to investigate to what extent, and under which conditions, the NGOization of space—that is, the growing number of nongovernmental actors that deal with the production of space both politically and tangibly—has been able to achieve strategic goals which may lead towards social change.

scholarly journals Progressive Social Movements and the Internet

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah J. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Social Power ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Internet ◽  
The Public ◽  
Media Technologies ◽  
The Public Sphere

Because of the field’s foundational concerns with both social power and media, communication scholars have long been at the center of scholarly thought at the intersection of social change and technology. Early critical scholarship in communication named media technologies as central in the creation and maintenance of dominant political ideologies and as a balm against dissent among the masses. This work detailed the marginalization of groups who faced restricted access to mass media creation and exclusion from representational discourse and images, alongside the connections of mass media institutions to political and cultural elites. Yet scholars also highlighted the ways collectives use media technologies for resistance inside their communities and as interventions in the public sphere. Following the advent of the World Wide Web in the late 1980s, and the granting of public access to the Internet in 1991, communication scholars faced a medium that seemed to buck the one-way and gatekeeping norms of others. There was much optimism about the democratic potentials of this new technology. With the integration of Internet technology into everyday life, and its central role in shaping politics and culture in the 21st century, scholars face new questions about its role in dissent and collective efforts for social change. The Internet requires us to reconsider definitions of the public sphere and civil society, document the potentials and limitations of access to and creation of resistant and revolutionary media, and observe and predict the rapidly changing infrastructures and corresponding uses of technology—including the temporality of online messaging alongside the increasingly transnational reach of social movement organizing. Optimism remains, but it has been tempered by the realities of the Internet’s limitations as an activist tool and warnings of the Internet-enabled evolution of state suppression and surveillance of social movements. Across the body of critical work on these topics particular characteristics of the Internet, including its rapidly evolving infrastructures and individualized nature, have led scholars to explore new conceptualizations of collective action and power in a digital media landscape.

Public Space and the Public Sphere: Political Theory and the Historical Geography of Modernity

1993 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Howell
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Historical Geography ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Political Life ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Normative Political Theory

This paper contributes to the ongoing discussion of the historical geography of modernity. It is argued that the exclusive focus on social theory has detrimental effects on the appreciation of normative political concerns and that it ignores the resurgence of normative political theory. Habermas's concept of the public sphere, and its place within his theoretical and empirical studies, is, by contrast, commendably concerned with linking the social and historical work with normative political theorising, and its usefulness for geographical investigation is applauded. However, the criticisms directed from, in particular, communitarian political theorists and contextualist social researchers would seem to make his attempt to bring a ‘strong’ theory of public political life back within the remit of a reconstructed social theory less plausible. One set of responses to this criticism comes in the form of the attempt to build geography into this normative political theory, turning public spheres into public spaces; Arcndt's political theory, in conclusion, is thus held to be a significant contribution to the historical geography of modernity.

Linguistic Landscape of Ethiopia

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Lanza ◽  
Hirut Woldemariam
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Linguistic Landscape ◽  
Late 20Th Century ◽  
The Public ◽  
Latin Script ◽  
Growing Economy ◽  
The Public Sphere

The linguistic landscape (henceforth LL) has proven to be a fruitful approach for investigating various societal dimensions of written language use in the public sphere. First introduced in the context of bilingual Canada as a gauge for measuring ethnolinguistic vitality, in the 21st century it is the focus of a thriving field of inquiry with its own conference series, an increasing number of publications, and an international journal dedicated exclusively to investigating language and other semiotic resources used in the public arena. The scholarship in this domain has centered on European and North American geographical sites; however, an increasingly voluminous share of studies addresses the LL of sites across the world through both books and articles. African contributions have added an important dimension to this knowledge base as southern multilingualisms bring into question the very concept of language in that speakers and writers draw on their rich linguistic repertoires, avoiding any compartmentalization or separation of what is traditionally conceived of as languages. The LL of Ethiopia has contributed to this growing base of empirical studies in the exploration of language policy issues, identity constructions, language contact, and the sociolinguistics of globalization. A new language policy of ethnic federalism was introduced to the country in the 1990s following a civil war and through a new constitution. This policy was set to recognize the various ethnolinguistic groups in the country and the official use of ethnic/regional languages to satisfy local political and educational needs. Through this, languages previously unwritten required a script in order for speakers to communicate in them in written texts. And many regions have chosen the Latin script above the Ethiopic script. Nonetheless, some languages remain invisible in the public sphere. These events create an exciting laboratory for studying the LL. Given the change of language policy since the late 20th century and the fast-growing economy of Ethiopia (one of the poorest countries on the continent) the manifest and increasingly visible display of languages in the LL provides an excellent lens for studying various sociolinguistic phenomena.

scholarly journals Retro-Innovation and Corporate Social Responsibility

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Loucanova ◽  
Jan Parobek ◽  
Martina Kalamarova
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
New Products ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Corporate Social

Abstract The paper deals with the retro-innovation and their importance to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Corporate social responsibility is a process with the aim to encourage a positive impact through activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, and all other stakeholders of the public sphere. The accelerated rate of technological and social change influences on the society. The main social problems are symptoms of future shock. Retro-innovation trend is emerging against an accelerating backdrop of “datafication”. New products are designed to connect customers with the past in ways that are nostalgic, interactive and environmental. CSR thanks to the retroinnovation encourages has a positive impact on the all stakeholders and eliminates the future shock.

Challenges for an SNS-based public sphere in 2016

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 1106-1123
Author(s):  
Kyle John Lorenzano ◽  
Miles Sari ◽  
Colin Harrell Storm ◽  
Samuel Rhodes ◽  
Porismita Borah
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Political Polarization ◽  
Political Discussion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
2016 Election ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Willingness To Use

PurposePolitical polarization and incivility manifested itself online throughout the 2016 US presidential election. The purpose of this paper is to understand how features of social media platforms (e.g. reacting, sharing) impacted the online public sphere during the 2016 election.Design/methodology/approachAfter conducting in-depth interviews with politically interested young people and applying deductive coding procedures to transcripts of the interviews, Dahlberg’s (2004) six normative conditions for the public sphere were used to empirically examine this interview data.FindingsWhile some participants described strategies for productive political discussion on Social Networking Sites (SNS) and a willingness to use them to discuss politics, many users’ experiences largely fall short of Dahlberg’s (2004) normative criteria for the public sphere.Research limitations/implicationsThe period in which these interviews were conducted in could have contributed to a more pessimistic view of political discussion in general.Practical implicationsScholars and the public should recognize that the affordances of SNS for political discussion are not distributed evenly between different platforms, both for the sake of empirical studies of SNS moving forward and the state of democratic deliberation.Originality/valueAlthough previous research has examined online and SNS-based political discussion as it relates to the public sphere, few attempts have been made understand how specific communicative practices or platform-specific features of SNS have contributed to or detracted from a healthy public sphere.

The Rise of Public Opinion in the Ottoman Empire (1839–1909)

2004 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 115-154
Author(s):  
Bedri Gencer
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Political Crisis ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Power Politics ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Crisis Of Modernity

The political crisis of modernity has given rise to a number of studies in the area of political history that are disproportionately concerned with civil society. This consequently has spawned the development of broad theoretical frameworks concerning civil society and the public sphere. One of the lesser-treated subjects within this context has been public opinion. Developed primarily by post-Enlightenment liberal political theory, the notions of civil society and the public sphere had been presented as major alternatives to the domain of the power politics of the Machiavellian tradition. In order to place public opinion on a sound theoretical basis, there arose the need to promote historical empirical studies of it across national contexts over time. . One of the most significant tasks confronting comparative historical sociologists today is uncovering the origin of public opinion, which this paper undertakes to do within an Ottoman context.

Rewriting the Discourse of Racial Identity: Towards a Pedagogy and Politics of Whiteness

1997 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry Giroux
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Racial Identity ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
White Students ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Henry Giroux

In this article, Henry Giroux places the study of Whiteness in a historical context, recognizing the various modes in which racial identity has been used by conservative ideologues and critical scholars who seek to expand the discussion of race and power. The author also points out the limitations of the current scholarship on Whiteness. Although this scholarship has successfully expanded the study of race to include the study of Whiteness as a historical, cultural, and political construction, it has not shown the liberating potential of deconstructing Whiteness in the public sphere. With an analysis of Dangerous Minds and Suture, two movies with contrasting narratives of race, the author provides an example of the possibilities for critically discussing, in a classroom, the representation of race and ethnicity in the media. Through such a discussion, students of different races and ethnicities can reflect on the representation of themselves and others and the position of Whiteness as the dominant referent. There is a need for Whiteness to be theorized and discussed in a manner that recognizes the potential for criticism, as well as the possibility for White students to recognize their own agency and legitimate place within the struggle for social change and an anti-racist society.

Hanslick and the Institution of Criticism

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana Gooley
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Audience Response ◽  
Music Criticism ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Top Down ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Enlightenment ◽  
The Public Sphere

This article surveys Hanslick’s statements about the purpose and practice of criticism to argue that he viewed music criticism as a medium with the potential to effect political and social change, and not as a practical application of aesthetic principles. Hanslick took up the Enlightenment model of criticism—–which stressed the critic’s role in fostering the public’s independence of judgment through the exercise of reason—–and adapted it to the historical circumstances of post-1848 Vienna. The Enlightenment model had originated from an impetus to emancipate a civil public from top-down, absolute forms of authority. It resonated powerfully with Hanslick because he believed that artistic, social, and political life in Vienna after 1848 was gradually liberating itself from the paralyzing, passive, and repressive ethos of Vormärz, and that the critic could contribute to this historical emancipation. Hanslick thus broke his earlier identification with the Left Hegelian “philosophical” model of criticism, which did not share the Enlightenment’s optimistic conception of the public sphere. His commitment to the critic's public mission manifested as an effort to position his voice as the “silent” inner conscience of the average educated listener. His self-consciousness about aligning his voice with that of the public came to the surface in reviews where his opinion did not match the audience response. Many of Hanslick’s criteria for musical judgment were aimed at defending the listener’s freedom from the interference of external critical authorities as well as from composers and whose musical ideas were turgid or unclear. In service to these freedoms he was willing to criticize composers such as Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms, as well as conservative classicists and music historians.

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