On Defining and Differentiating
… 6
questioned on the charge that they are not participatory at all. A review of some of the major
approaches that have differentiated themselves within this movement suggests this variability.
One outgrowth of the participatory communication movement is a new conception of
research. In modernization theory, research was conducted by First World experts from a value-
neutral perspective and shared with beneficiary communities. In place of this, a “participatory
communication research” approach has developed that puts research activities in the hands of
local individuals and groups and is aimed not at generating objective findings but at social
change (Bhabha, 1994; Einsiedel, 1999; Fals Borda, 1979, 1988; Greene et al., 1995; Hall, 1975;
Himmelstrand, 1982; Holland & Blackburn, 1998; Jacobson, 1993; Rahman, 1993). This is
intended not only to be effective but also emancipatory. “…as partisan research; it is the
research of involvement; it is the research for liberation. It is not only research with the people –
it is people’s research” (Simbulan, 1983, p. 10). .
Social mobilization refers to a process developed at the United Nations International
Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF, 1993). Matters such as youth nutrition, health, and
educational development must be simultaneously approached in multiple contexts including
schools, workplaces, radical community groups, government agencies, and traditional
community meetings. Social mobilization employs a comprehensive approach to planning that
focuses on coalition building. It tries to get stakeholders engaged in partnerships for change
(Minkler, 1990; Wallack, 1989; World Bank, 1992).
Media advocacy is another post-modernization communication approach that seeks to
empower local peoples. Development communication efforts generally swim, according to
media advocates, against a strong current. It aims to stimulate public debate and bring pressure
to bear on governments and corporations through the media (Brawley & Martinez-Brawley,
Convention