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Currently the dominant form of universities development oriented community engagement is based on an institutional project-based theoretical framework. This framework has been criticised in the scholarly discipline of Development Communication and Social Change for being diffusion-based in nature,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Johannesburg
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Communicare |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/jcsa/article/view/1560 |
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| Summary: | Currently the dominant form of universities development oriented community engagement is based
on an institutional project-based theoretical framework. This framework has been criticised in the
scholarly discipline of Development Communication and Social Change for being diffusion-based
in nature, for its rigid linearity and subsequent hierarchically unequal power relationships, and for
its uncritical validation of a particular form of knowledge. Against the background of this critique,
paired with the current pronounced global awareness regarding the role of public universities in
society, this conceptual article critically investigates a range of options for development-oriented
community engagement by South African public universities. These options are based on different
theoretical frameworks that already exist in the field of Development Communication and Social
Change, namely: modernisation; dependency disassociation and social movements; Freirean
dialogical pedagogy; UNESCO’s media system approach (that foregrounds access, participation
and self-management); and participatory communication for development and social change. In
so doing, the article suggests that universities should critically consider the following aspects when
embarking on development-oriented community engagement: 1) evaluate the main assumptions
of the framework, 2) consider the complex interplay between internal and external factors that
cause problems of development, 3) consider the epistemology of knowledge, 4) reflect on the
purpose and nature of community participation, and 5) consider aspects related to expressions
of voice and identity in the public sphere instead of focusing only on measurable and material
aspects as outcomes.
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| ISSN: | 0259-0069 2957-7950 |