For students and scholars of media studies, Howley (media studies, DePauw U.) compiles 32 case studies on alternative, community-based, and citizens' media, and how, why, and to what ends communities make use of communication and information technologies in today's media. Scholars of media studies, cultural studies, sociology, and other fields, as well as activists and practitioners from North America, Europe, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand, discuss media forms, institutions, and practices such as community radio, street newspapers, participatory video, Independent Media Centers, and community informatics, showing the multidimensional nature of media and its significance to the social, economic, political, and cultural lives of people around the world, from Colombia to Zimbabwe. They consider the relationship between community media and democratic theory, cultural politics and social movements, media activism and neoliberal communication policy, and grassroots organizing and international solidarity building. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
A text that reveals the value and significance of community media in an era of global communication
With contributions from an international team of well-known experts, media activists, and promising young scholars, this comprehensive volume examines community-based media from theoretical, empirical, and practical perspectives. More than 30 original essays provide an incisive and timely analysis of the relationships between media and society, technology and culture, and communication and community.
Key Features
- Provides vivid examples of community and alternative media initiatives from around the world
- Explores a wide range of media institutions, forms, and practices-community radio, participatory video, street newspapers, Independent Media Centers, and community informatics
- Offers cutting-edge analysis of community and alternative media with original essays from new, emerging, and established voices in the field
- Takes a multidimensional approach to community media studies by highlighting the social, economic, cultural, and political significance of alternative, independent, and community-oriented media organizations
- Enters the ongoing debates regarding the theory and practice of community media in a comprehensive and engaging fashion
Intended Audience
This core text is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Community Media, Alternative Media, Media & Social Change, Communication & Culture, and Participatory Communication in the departments of communication, media studies, sociology, and cultural studies.
