Un/Making CSC: A critical engagement with Communication for Social 'Changemaking'

Un/Making CSC：与社会“变革”沟通的关键参与

• 批准号: AH/W009242/1
• 负责人: Jessica Noske-Turner
• 金额: $ 24.52万
• 依托单位: Loughborough University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FW009242%2F1
• 关键词: Un; Making; CSC; critical; engagement

The aid and development funding landscape for communication and social change (CSC) is changing rapidly. CSC is a field of scholarship and practice within communication studies concerned with the role of media and communication in processes of social change and development. Historically, much of the practice of CSC has been funded as part of international development cooperation. However, funds from traditional bilateral donors are shrinking, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, philanthropic foundations, especially those linked with tech-sector corporations, are growing in funding scale and programmatic influence. This context is accelerating the uptake of social entrepreneurship inspired discourses and worldviews in CSC practice. This worldview mirrors contemporary capitalist cultures and draws on new business management mantras, emphasising optimism, creativity, boldness, leadership and autonomy as an approach to 'changemaking'. Under this worldview, dependency on donors is seen as the main problem to avoid, and traditional aid and development is framed as having failed. For CSC practitioners on the ground there is validity in this assessment. Practitioners have reported that they see significant benefits from social entrepreneurship approaches, in that it enables them to be more bottom-up, to operate in less precarious and dependent ways, to be more adaptive to local needs, and to determine their own priority actions and approaches.However, this trend is in stark contrast with the momentum of current debates in academia, where of primary interest is in the role of communication in the resistance of global capitalism and in decolonization agendas. Social entrepreneurship discourses and the broader neoliberalisation of CSC are therefore seen as threats to, not enablers of, social justice. Un/Making CSC engages directly with these tensions, investigating the implications of growing entrepreneurial discourses within communication for social change (CSC) from a practitioner perspective. Theoretically, Un/Making CSC will engage in interdisciplinary ways with social entrepreneurship and leadership studies. Empirically it will use participatory and visual methods with practitioners, communities and other key stakeholders to interrogate the implications in terms of shifting CSC concepts, funding strategies, stakeholder relationships, and alternative frameworks. The research will be undertaken in two distinct sites: youth and girls engagement in Malawi which has historically been reliant on international development funding; and feminist digital justice efforts India, where there are complex tensions being negotiated in terms of funding sources, especially philanthropic funding, and the political principles of the organisation. The research aims to advance theory and practice on a justice-driven approach to communication for social 'changemaking'. The Fellowship enables the PI to firmly establish intellectual leadership and the shaping of new interdisciplinary research agendas engaging across communication and media studies, international development studies, and social entrepreneurship and leadership studies. The Fellowship is designed to develop skills and leadership capabilities in project management, methodological innovation, HE leadership, and public engagement and policy impact. This project partners with several well-established CSC organisations with experience of navigating these tensions, to co-develop insights, actionable frameworks and policy briefs for a social justice-driven approach to Communication for Social Changemaking. The Fellowship will positively impact the partner organisations within the life of the project, and lays the foundation for future policy-impact.

传播和社会变革（CSC）的援助和发展资金格局正在迅速变化。CSC是传播学研究的一个学术和实践领域，关注媒体和传播在社会变革和发展过程中的作用。从历史上看，CSC的许多实践都是作为国际发展合作的一部分得到资助的。然而，来自传统双边捐助者的资金正在减少，特别是在2019冠状病毒病大流行之后。此外，慈善基金会，特别是那些与科技公司有联系的基金会，在资金规模和项目影响力方面正在增长。这种背景正在加速社会企业家精神的话语和世界观在CSC实践中的吸收。这种世界观反映了当代资本主义文化，并借鉴了新的商业管理咒语，强调乐观、创造力、大胆、领导力和自主性，作为“变革”的一种方法。在这种世界观下，对捐助者的依赖被视为需要避免的主要问题，而传统的援助和发展被认为已经失败。对于CSC从业人员来说，这种评估是有效的。从业人员报告说，他们看到了社会创业方法的显著好处，因为它使他们能够更多地自下而上，以更少的不稳定和依赖的方式运作，更能适应当地的需求，并确定自己的优先行动和方法。然而，这一趋势与学术界当前辩论的势头形成鲜明对比，学术界的主要兴趣在于传播在抵抗全球资本主义和非殖民化议程中的作用。因此，社会企业家话语和CSC更广泛的新自由主义化被视为对社会正义的威胁，而不是促成因素。Un/Making CSC直接与这些紧张关系接触，从实践者的角度调查社会变革沟通（CSC）中不断增长的创业话语的含义。从理论上讲，Un/Making CSC将以跨学科的方式参与社会创业和领导力研究。根据经验，它将与从业人员、社区和其他关键利益相关者一起使用参与式和可视化方法，从转移CSC概念、资助策略、利益相关者关系和替代框架的角度来询问其含义。研究将在两个不同的地点进行：马拉维的青年和女孩参与，马拉维历来依赖国际发展资金；印度的女权主义数字正义努力，在资金来源（尤其是慈善资金）和该组织的政治原则方面，存在复杂的紧张关系。该研究旨在推进以正义为导向的沟通方法的理论和实践，以促进社会“变革”。该奖学金使PI能够牢固地建立智力领导和塑造新的跨学科研究议程，涉及传播和媒体研究，国际发展研究，社会创业和领导力研究。该奖学金旨在培养项目管理、方法创新、高等教育领导、公众参与和政策影响方面的技能和领导能力。该项目与几家在应对这些紧张局势方面经验丰富的知名CSC组织合作，共同开发见解、可操作框架和政策简报，以社会正义为导向，通过沟通促进社会变革。该奖学金将在项目生命周期内对合作伙伴组织产生积极影响，并为未来的政策影响奠定基础。