Participatory Media for the Spoken World

Abstract

This exploratory study analyses the functions and implications of participatory video projects in rural development settings. The term ‘participatory video’ refers to a bundle of innovative usages of video technology which enjoy growing popularity in many corners of the world. After the first trials in the late 1960s participatory video has developed into several different directions and there is no consensus of what the term actually stands for. In the current literature participatory video is closely associated to the burgeoning field of participatory approaches such as Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), even though its application goes beyond the idea of participatory research and learning in many instances.

There is by no means a consistent, established way of using the tool; experience and knowledge about what good practice is differ from person to person and in the literature. This study therefore categorises the varying approaches into a typology based on a review of the relatively scarce literature on the subject. Through a conceptual distinction of different project goals, three basic kinds of participatory video are identified, i. e. therapy-, activism- and empowerment-type video.

The central part of the study consists of three case studies, from Mexico, Tanzania, and Vietnam respectively. In each of these the functions and implications of participatory video use are identified. A particular focus is put on the second case study, the ‘Fisherfolks’ Project’, as the relatively biggest amount of background information has been available. A number of theories and concepts are tested on this case in order to deepen the understanding of the potentials and limitations of participatory video.

The concepts and theories applied to the case include pluralism, the platform approach, soft systems thinking; Habermas’ theory of communicative action and ultimately the principle of participation as applied in PRA. It is found that participatory video is appropriate to facilitate processes such as mediation, conflict management, capacity building and empowerment.

Since the study is of exploratory nature, a considerable stress was put on the identification of interesting fields of further research. A list of easily available participatory video literature (in the appendix) has been compiled to provide a starting point for such research.