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We have in recent years seen growing calls for pedagogies for social change amongst communication and development scholars, identifying resistances, critiques, and emerging practices in the field. This review article addresses this ‘pedagogical turn’, suggesting that it is in these pedagogies we can see the pathways to unlearn and relearn communication for social change. Offering a decolonial analytical lens, this article asks two questions: What characterizes these critical pedagogies? And how can the various pedagogies contribute to unlearning and relearning the field of communication and social change? This article is structured in five parts, first offering a review of key critiques articulated within the field of communication and social development in the past two decades, arguing that, in practice, what we are seeing is the organic development of a pluriverse of knowledges, values, and visions of society. Secondly, it proposes the decolonial term of ‘unlearning’ as a pedagogical pathway and epistemological ambition for the production and recognition of a pluriverse of knowledges, thereby challenging dominant perceptions of society and social change. Thirdly, it introduces a model of analysis which structures ways whereby we can think about monocultures and ecologies in relation to a range of dimensions of the pluriverse. Fourthly, it reviews key critical pedagogies, discussing how they address epistemic injustice both in broader societal contexts as well as in the university space. This article concludes by discussing how the process of unlearning through critical pedagogies has implications for the configuration and definition of the field of communication and social change, suggesting three areas for further research: ways of seeing (positionality), new subject positions (relationality), and new design processes (transition).

This valuable resource offers a wealth of practical and conceptual guidance to all those engaged in struggles for social justice around the world. It explains in accessible language and painstaking detail how to deploy and to understand the tools of media and communication in advancing the goals of social, cultural, and political change. * A stand-out reference on a vital topic of primary international concern, with a rising profile in communications and media research programs * Multinational editorial team and global contributors * Covers the history of the field as well as integrating and reconceptualising its diverse perspectives and approaches * Provides a fully formed framework of understanding and identifies likely future developments * Features a wealth of insights into the critical role of digital media in development communication and social change

This article critically assesses the possibilities and limitations of strategic communication initiatives to enhance cultures of governance among youth in Northern Ghana. The analysis is embedded within contemporary debates about communication and social change, with particular focus upon dynamics between citizen media development, youth-centred citizen journalism, and processes of community mobilisation and development. Findings suggest that the project has opened up to dynamic, youth-led social change processes, evidenced by the creative, proactive enactment of citizen engagement. Youth changed not only their self-perception around agency and ability to act, but also influenced community development in a variety of ways. Cet article présente une évaluation critique des possibilités et des limites des initiatives de communication stratégique visant à renforcer les cultures de la gouvernance parmi des jeunes au Ghana. L’analyse est ancrée dans les débats contemporains sur la communication et le changement social, avec une attention particulière sur la dynamique entre le développement des médias citoyens, le journalisme citoyen centré sur les jeunes, et les processus de mobilisation et de développement communautaires. Les résultats suggèrent que le projet s’est ouvert aux processus dynamiques de changement social conduits par des jeunes, comme en témoigne la mise en œuvre créative et proactive de l’engagement citoyen. Les jeunes ont non seulement changé leur propre perception, relativement à l’agentivité et la capacité à agir, mais aussi influencé le développement communautaire de plusieurs manières. Desde una perspectiva crítica, el presente artículo valora las posibilidades y las limitaciones que conllevan estratégicas iniciativas en comunicación destinadas a mejorar las culturas de gobernanza entre los jóvenes del norte de Ghana. Este análisis forma parte de los debates actuales en torno a la comunicación y el cambio social, centrados particularmente en las dinámicas surgidas con la evolución de los medios ciudadanos, el periodismo ciudadano centrado en la juventud y los procesos de movilización y desarrollo a nivel comunitario. Los hallazgos al respecto sugieren que tales iniciativas han respondido a dinámicos procesos de cambio encabezados por jóvenes; los mismos son evidenciados por la participación ciudadana creativa y proactiva. Además, los jóvenes no solo transformaron su autopercepción sobre su autonomía y capacidad para actuar, también incidieron en el desarrollo comunitario de múltiples maneras.

This article explores the communicative practice of a Tanzanian NGO, Femina. Based on a tripartite model of engagement (Madianou, 2012) integrating speech, action and understanding, and drawing on fieldwork on the communication practices of Femina, I critically assess the forms of civic engagement the organization strategizes about and seeks to articulate amongst Tanzanian youth. Situated in the 'perverse confluence' (Dagnino, 2011) between neoliberal and radical democratic agendas in the communicative practices of civil society-driven media platforms, Femina navigates between identities as an NGO, a social movement and a media initiative. In the context of the growing literature on social networking sites and their affordances, dynamics and structures, the case of Femina illustrates how a civil society sphericule emerges within the dynamic co-evolution of new and old media platforms. The study is furthermore an example of the difficult shift in civil society practice, from service provision to an agenda of public service monitoring, social accountability and community engagement.

En este momento, el gobierno de Paraguay está tomando una serie de iniciativas para repensar el concepto de medios públicos a escala nacional. A partir de ese contexto, este artículo presenta tres perspectivas claves para reconceptualizar la escena mediática en la América Latina del Siglo XXI como un eje de desarrollo y de gobernabilidad transparente. Primero, sitúa la iniciativa paraguaya en un contexto histórico latinoamericano que enuncia y usa la comunicación para la articulación del cambio social; segundo, plantea el debate acerca de las necesidades y derechos relativos a la información y la comunicación, usando el concepto de medios ciudadanos como la entrada analítica y tercero, llama la atención sobre el contexto de la globalización y la sociedad en red como factores fundamentales que influyen tanto en las políticas como en las prácticas relativas a los medios y a la comunicación pública nacional.

What do we mean when we say participatory communication? What are the practical implications of working with participatory communication strategies in development and social change processes? What experiences exists in practice that documents that participatory communication adds value to a development project or programme? The aim of this user guide on participatory communication is to provide answers to some of these questions. Many communication practitioners and development workers face obstacles and challenges in their practical work. A participatory communication strategy offers a very specific perspective on how to articulate social processes, decision-making processes and any change process for that matter. Participatory approaches are nothing new. However, what is new is the proliferation of institutions, especially governmental but also non-governmental, that seek participatory approaches in their development initiative. This guide seeks to provide perspectives, tools and experiences regarding how to go about it with participatory communication strategies. It is conceived as a guide that hopefully can be of relevance and utility for development workers in the field. It is targeted at both at government and their officials, World Bank staff and at civil society.