Indigenous Media Research Articles

Mass media and socio‐political formation in Hong Kong, 1949–1992

This paper aims to provide an institutional and systemic analysis of the interactions between mass media and socio‐political formation in Hong Kong in the last four decades. In the first stage of political development (1949‐early 1960s), the mass media served as the weak linkage between society and polity. Coupled with the Hong Kong Government's monopoly of the power to define social reality, the mass media's apathy to local politics was functional in maintaining the colonial status quo. The second stage of political development marked the growth of local identity and pressure groups (mid 1960s‐early 1980s). Demographic change and the development of an indigenous media culture contributed to the rise of a local identity. The third stage of political development is an intermix of the gradual return of Hong Kong's sovereignty to China and democratization (mid 1980s to present). While the mass media were instrumental in legitimizing China as the future political master, they have also been serving as the bat...

Indigenous Media: Faustian Contract or Global Village?

Cultural AnthropologyVolume 6, Issue 1 p. 92-112 Indigenous Media: Faustian Contract or Global Village? Faye Ginsburg, Faye Ginsburg New York UniversitySearch for more papers by this author Faye Ginsburg, Faye Ginsburg New York UniversitySearch for more papers by this author First published: February 1991 https://doi.org/10.1525/can.1991.6.1.02a00040Citations: 286AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume6, Issue1February 1991Pages 92-112 RelatedInformation

Indigenous resources in Africa: Unexplored communication potential

This article explores the untapped potential of indigenous resources in developing countries for promoting primary health care, particularly in West Africa. Although indigenous leadership, organizations, and media have been identified and incorporated into many development projects, their potential to support change has often not been optimized. Folk theatre and puppetry have received extensive attention in the literature regarding communication and development, but other forms of traditional media—songs, stories, drumming, and proverbs—have not been adequately investigated. Suggestions are made in this article as to how the rich store of African proverbs, for example, might be adapted to development messages in particular situations. The lack of close attention to indigenous structures and to indigenous communication systems is related to the increasing dependence of many African governments on outside agencies, and to those agencies' size, proliferation, and priorities.

Visions and revisions: Toraja culture and the tourist gaze

Ethnic tourism, a consummate form of “collection,” presupposes processes of ob‐jectification that extend to “culture” itself. Such processes are not simply imposed by the demands of the international tourism industry; actors include indigenous peoples who are both “tourist objects” and reflective critics, whose cultural visions (and revisions) are shaped in part by a distinctive “tourist gaze” and in part by a dialogue with the state. These processes are explored in the Toraja highlands of Sulawesi, Indonesia, where indigenous media (houses, effigies, and ceremonies) are being recomposed, using a range of new media, as obyek turis. [tourism, representation, public culture, art, ritual, Indonesia]

Using folk media in development programmes.

New communications technologies promise greater efficiency and accuracy in the dissemination of information. But the rural areas of developing countries do not benefit from these advances because of the lack of human and material resources there. There are valuable contributions to be made by folk media to support and promote development and family planning programs in developing countries. Folk media can integrate cultural values, beliefs, and attitudes with national and societal needs. Indigenous media are locally oriented, easily accessible, and relatively inexpensive. Folk media include visual, verbal, and aural forms accepted by a specific community and used to entertain, inform, or instruct. Poetry, puppetry, songs, and dramas are examples of dynamic folk media--adaptable, subject to change, and capable of incorporating new forms and ideas. In the early 1970s, 2 conferences were held to discuss the ways in which folk media and mass media could be used in family planning programs, bringing the idea closer to practical implementation. Historically, folk media have played a role in informing, instructing and motivating specific audiences. Folk media are flexible, portable and generally inexpensive. However, a careful balance must be maintained in using folk media to guard against the possibilities of destruction of the folk media form and the use of folk media solely for development purposes. Evaluating the effectiveness of folk media used to advance development aims is difficult, but behavioral changes seem to be the best gauge of effectiveness. The best approach, based on experiences in Sri Lanka, seems to be to use folk media to arouse the audience's feelings and create an atmosphere for change, followed by mass media presentation of more detailed information and vivid illustration.

Erica Cusi Wortham, Indigenous Media in Mexico

Erica Cusi Wortham, Indigenous Media in Mexico