"Bourgault investigates three principal influences: the pre-colonial legacy of the oral tradition, the presence of an alienated managerial class, and the domination of African nations by systems based on political patronage. The first two chapters provide the theoretical framework. Subsequent chapte
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rs look at the management of the electronic media, radio and television broadcasting in content and practice, the history of print media, and the discourse style found in the press. This work provides a wealth of historical information on media systems, particularly those of the former anglophone and francophone countries, together with recent developments in satellite communication, small-systems technology, and the current move toward decentralization and privatization. Bourgault also considers the political shifts affecting Africa in the 1990s and offers a radical blueprint for more responsive and informative media in the sub-Saharan area." (Publisher description)
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"This volume explores the strengths, weaknesses, and complex nature of participation in diverse settings through a collection of 20 essays that focus on the concept of participation in development and raise questions relating to power, control, empowerment, awareness-raising, and self-reliance. The
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editors assert that participation must be dialogic and transactional, and that development communicators have a role in facilitating the spread of new philosophies, concepts, and models, which facilitate participation at all stages of the development process. This volume is divided into sections on theories, methodologies, 'participatory decision-making and action' and 'participatory message making', and includes case studies." (Communication Initiative website Nov. 2007)
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