Mindful Communication for Sustainable Development: Perspectives from Asia

Written by Asian scholars, Mindful Communication for Sustainable Development: Perspectives from Asia analyzes Asian philosophical ideas and communication theories that promote respect for cultural diversity, protection of environment, and ‘sufficiency economic’ models. It discusses how ancient Asian teachings, particularly from the Buddhist, Hindu, and Confucius schools of thought, can enrich modern-day communication needs and help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals espoused by the United Nations. 

As a mindful communication revolution spreads across the world, especially in the West, this book draws attention to the danger of practicing mindfulness without its spiritual and ethical leanings. The book puts forward innovative ideas on applying traditional practices to modern digital communication. It rethinks development communication methods and how the media reports on economic, environmental, and developmental issues. It promotes a new paradigm of communication, one that is centered on both social harmony and freedom of expression. It is an essential read for development communicators and trainers.

Kalinga Seneviratne is Lecturer in the Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. He is a media analyst with many years of experience in journalism. He was the Australia and South Pacific correspondent for the Inter Press Service news agency. From 2005 to 2012, he was the Head of Research at the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre, Singapore. Dr Seneviratne has been an awardwinning radio broadcaster in Sydney. He received the Media Peace Award (1987) from the United Nations Association of Australia and the Educational Award (1992) from the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia. He writes for several news services and has several published works to his credit. Before joining the Faculty of Communication Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Dr Seneviratne taught development journalism and international communications at Macquarie University, Sydney; University of Technology Sydney; Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore; and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.