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ETD Abstract Container

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Exploring Dialogic Social Change

Greiner, Karen P.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1273197688

Abstract Details

2010, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Communication Studies (Communication).
This dissertation explores a model of social change which I have labeled "dialogic." Each of the three cases I have chosen for this study has been included because I believe that the design of each intervention departs significantly and creatively from traditional, less Other-oriented, social change efforts. Dialogic social change begins with the assumption that human beings cannot be developed, modernized, or empowered by external parties. Instead, this conception of change is guided by the assumption that individuals are autonomous, trustworthy beings who are capable of deciding when to engage with new ideas and opportunities for action. First, I analyze the strategic communication of the "Billionaires for Bush," a group of playful and ironic protesters, most active in New York City preceding the 2004 U.S. Presidential election. In this case I focus on the ability of the Billionaires to creatively inspire and invite civic participation, which resulted in the self-organization of more than 70 "spin off" Billionaires for Bush chapters. The second case I examine is "Scenarios from Africa," an HIV/AIDS-related communication process in Senegal centered on a script writing contest for young people implemented voluntarily by a vast network of community based organizations. I discuss how the contest promotes youth agency in Senegal, allowing contest participants to shift from their traditional role as targets of information campaigns to instead become creators of HIV prevention content. Finally, I present the "invitational" Cultura Ciudadana (civic culture) communication strategy employed by Antanas Mockus, the former mayor of Bogotá Colombia. In the Bogotá case I explore how the Mockus administration creatively promoted civic education and participation by, for example, distributing soccer referee-type cards to encourage citizens to replace violence and aggression with playful symbols when communicating with fellow citizens. Each of the cases involves a communication strategy designed to invite and inspire action, and each case is rooted in the notion that the Other should be respected and is a capable and potentially creative being. I aspire to affect practice by illustrating the process and outcome of three different social change interventions and by suggesting that the dialogic design of these interventions explains their generative potential - their ability to make action possible.
Devika Chawla (Committee Co-Chair)
Gregory Shepherd (Committee Co-Chair)
William Rawlins (Committee Member)
Rafael Obregon (Committee Member)
Arvind Singhal (Committee Member)
259 p.
Communication
Dialogue; social change; invitation; communication; Senegal; Colombia; design

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Greiner, K. P. (2010). Exploring Dialogic Social Change [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1273197688

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Greiner, Karen. Exploring Dialogic Social Change. 2010. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1273197688.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Greiner, Karen. "Exploring Dialogic Social Change." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1273197688

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1273197688
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© 2010, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.