Social inclusion, and the power of being ‘seen’ and ‘heard’ in 2018

Angella Duvnjak,Paul Harris

doi:10.36251/josi.127

Abstract

Whose experiences, lives and values do we have most access to, and whose voices end up being heard or privileged? What does ‘visibility’ really mean in a world with a 24-hour media cycle, the opening up and democratisation of participatory models fuelled by social media, and increasing opportunities for direct representation which bypass traditional gatekeepers of information dissemination? From the protest at this year’s World Cup final carried out by Russian feminist musicians and activist group Pussy Riot, to the Black Lives Matter movement, and the increasing popular resistance to the detention of asylum seekers in Australia, we see increasing examples of the lived experiences of those kept ‘out of view’.

Highlights

Whose experiences, lives and values do we have most access to, and whose voices end up being heard or privileged? What does ‘visibility’ really mean in a world with a 24-hour media cycle, the opening up and democratisation of participatory models fuelled by social media, and increasing opportunities for direct representation which bypass traditional gatekeepers of information dissemination? From the protest at this year’s World Cup final carried out by Russian feminist musicians and activist group Pussy Riot, to the Black Lives Matter movement, and the increasing popular resistance to the detention of asylum seekers in Australia, we see increasing examples of the lived experiences of those kept ‘out of view’
To be invisible is to be ‘forgotten’ - it is to have one's lived experience pushed to the edges of society and with it, knowledge and histories born of exclusion and struggle
As we strive toward more socially inclusive communities the voices of those who have been silenced continue to move centre stage. In this issue we present a collection of articles that draw our attention to the ways in which we can expand ‘visibility’ of diverse experience and voices, and with it, the possibilities for increased social inclusion and community capacity

Summary

Introduction

Lives and values do we have most access to, and whose voices end up being heard or privileged? What does ‘visibility’ really mean in a world with a 24-hour media cycle, the opening up and democratisation of participatory models fuelled by social media, and increasing opportunities for direct representation which bypass traditional gatekeepers of information dissemination? From the protest at this year’s World Cup final carried out by Russian feminist musicians and activist group Pussy Riot, to the Black Lives Matter movement, and the increasing popular resistance to the detention of asylum seekers in Australia, we see increasing examples of the lived experiences of those kept ‘out of view’. In this issue we present a collection of articles that draw our attention to the ways in which we can expand ‘visibility’ of diverse experience and voices, and with it, the possibilities for increased social inclusion and community capacity.

Objectives

Results

Conclusion