On Defining Differentiating Kinds of Communication for Social Change:
Participatory, Non-Participatory, and Their Sub-Types
Abstract
The literature on participatory communication for social change contains a variety of
definitions specifying exactly what participatory communication is. Definitions various
focus on project planning, implementation, evaluation, interpersonal communication,
radio, participatory communication as a means to an end, participatory communication as
an end in itself, and more. There is also debate over whether social marketing and
entertainment-education can be employed in a participatory manner. Some say yes and
others no. This paper reviews past and current approaches, and argues that Habermas’s
theory of communicative action provides a useful approach to the definitional problem.
It presents a scheme for differentiating among kinds of communication for social change
using this theory’s classification of "action types," differentiating "communicative" from
"strategic" action, as well as subtypes within these. And it argues that communication
behavior, in terms of action types, should be fundamental in determining participation
rather than a school of thought or program type.