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Media Literacy and Conflict: Understanding Mediated Communication for the Achievement of Peace and Development

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SDG18 Communication for All, Volume 1

Part of the book series: Sustainable Development Goals Series ((SDGS))

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Abstract

In advocating for the establishment of SDG18—Communication for All, this chapter discusses the importance of media literacy among groups who have experienced conflict, with particular focus on the youth. Drawing on the ‘essential competencies of digital and media literacy’ articulated by Hobbs, a framework is built to discuss the role that communication for development (C4D) projects implemented in conflict-affected realities can play when media literacy is placed at the centre.

By existing on the margins of formal education media literacy can be incorporated into initiatives that lie outside traditional curriculum design and can be shaped into C4D interventions that aim for critical consciousness, agency and empowerment. While discussing how these interventions can be built to have a positive impact on young people living in conflict-affected realities, this chapter reveals how targeting media literacy through a communication-specific goal is essential for development.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Western Sydney University, Institute for Culture and Society (ICS), Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Valentina Baú

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  1. Valentina Baú
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Correspondence to Valentina Baú .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Jan Servaes

  2. Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Muhammad Jameel Yusha'u

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Baú, V. (2023). Media Literacy and Conflict: Understanding Mediated Communication for the Achievement of Peace and Development. In: Servaes, J., Yusha'u, M.J. (eds) SDG18 Communication for All, Volume 1. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19142-8_7

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