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Media, Communication and the Struggle for Democratic Change

Case Studies on Contested Transitions

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  • © 2019

Overview

  • Theorizes democratization within a communication framework
  • Explains normative dilemmas of journalism and media outside established western democracies
  • Provides guidance for practitioners of media development working in conflict zones

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Table of contents (12 chapters)

  1. Mediating Democratization Conflicts: Communication Technologies, Journalism and Normative Ambiguities

  2. Mobilizing Participation: Civil Society, Activism and Political Parties

  3. Communicating Power: Institution Building, Strategic Communication and Accountability

  4. International Perspectives

Keywords

About this book

This book investigates the role of media and communication in processes of democratization in different political and cultural contexts. Struggles for democratic change are periods of intense contest over the transformation of citizenship and the reconfiguration of political power. These democratization conflicts are played out within an increasingly complex media ecology where traditional modes of communication merge with new digital networks, thus bringing about multiple platforms for journalists and political actors to promote and contest competing definitions of reality. The volume draws on extensive case study research in South Africa, Kenya, Egypt and Serbia to highlight the ambivalent role of the media as force for democratic change, citizen empowerment, and accountability, as well as driver of polarization, radicalization and manipulation.

Editors and Affiliations

  • University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Katrin Voltmer

  • Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Christian Christensen

  • University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Irene Neverla

  • University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Nicole Stremlau

  • Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany

    Barbara Thomass

  • University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

    Nebojša Vladisavljević

  • University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Herman Wasserman

About the editors

Katrin Voltmer is Professor of Communication and Democracy at the University of Leeds, UK. 

Christian Christensen is Professor of Journalism at Stockholm University, Sweden.


Nicole Stremlau is Research Professor in the Humanities at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa and Head of the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, at the University of Oxford, UK.


Irene Neverla is Professor Emerita at the Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Hamburg, Germany.


Barbara Thomass is Professor for International Comparison of Media Systems at the Ruhr-University of Bochum, Germany.


Nebojša Vladisavljević is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade, Serbia.


Herman Wasserman is Professor of Media Studies and Director of the Centre for Film and Media Studies, University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Media, Communication and the Struggle for Democratic Change

  • Book Subtitle: Case Studies on Contested Transitions

  • Editors: Katrin Voltmer, Christian Christensen, Irene Neverla, Nicole Stremlau, Barbara Thomass, Nebojša Vladisavljević, Herman Wasserman

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16748-6

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-16747-9Published: 06 September 2019

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-16750-9Published: 06 September 2020

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-16748-6Published: 28 August 2019

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVII, 305

  • Number of Illustrations: 12 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Media and Communication, Political Communication, Cultural Policy and Politics, Development Communication

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