This volume is first and foremost about people and the processes needed to facilitate sharing of knowledge in order to effect positive developmental change. It is contextual and based on dialogue necessary to promote stakeholder’s participation, which is essential for the understanding of their perceptions, perspectives, values, attitudes and practices, so that these can be incorporated into the design and implementation of development initiatives.
This volume follows the two-way horizontal model and increasingly makes use of many-to-many forms of communications to facilitate the understanding of people’s perceptions, priorities and knowledge with its use of a number of tools, techniques, media and methods. It aims to give voice to those most affected by the development issue(s) at stake, allowing them to participate directly in defining and implementing solutions and identifying development directions.
Based on the assumption that authentic participation directly addresses power and its distribution in society, which often decreases the advantage of certain elite groups, the authors argue that structural and sustainable change necessitates the redistribution of power.
This collection offers perceptive insights and vivid examples to prove that the field of communication for development and social change is indeed vibrant.
Jan Servaes (Ph.D., 1987, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium) is Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (USA), Editor-in-Chief of Communication for Development and Social Change: A Global Journal (Hampton Press), Associate Editor of Telematics and Informatics: An International Journal on Telecommunications and Internet Technology (Elsevier), Editor of the Southbound Book Series Communication for Development and Social Change, and Editor of the Hampton Book Series Communication, Globalization and Cultural Identity. He chaired the Scientific Committee for the World Congress on Communication for Development (Rome, 25–27 October 2006), organized by the World Bank, FAO and the Communication Initiative.
Servaes has taught International Communication and Development Communication in Australia (Brisbane), Belgium (Brussels and Antwerp), the USA (Cornell), the Netherlands (Nijmegen) and Thailand (Thammasat, Bangkok). He has been President of the European Consortium for Communications Research (ECCR, www.eccr.info) and Vice-President of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR, www.iamcr.net), in charge of Academic Publications and Research, from 2000 to 2004.
Servaes has undertaken research, development, and advisory work around the world and is known as the author of journal articles and books on such topics as international and development communication; ICT and media policies; intercultural communication and language; participation and social change; and human rights and conflict management.
