A GuidetoPhilosophicalDiscussionsofCommunityMediaBY JOHN W. HIGGINS

g:the early 1990sI was a graduatestudent with an extensive back-ground in commercial and commu-nity-based media, working on a disserta-tion about public access.Fred Johnson of

Media Working Group put together a con-ference in Cincinnati, Ohio, that broughttogether two groups with interests in com-munity media: scholars and practitioners.Between breaks, Dirk Koning from GrandRapids pulled out a elaborately

folded, origami-likepiece ofpaper and asked me to choose"Pee Wee's Magic Word of the

Day." ("Pee Wee's Magic Word"

was a feature of a popular chil-dren's television program; whenthe secret word was mentioned

throughout the show, all peopleand objects went wild.)

I chose a section of the fold-

ed paper; it lifted to reveal the

word "hegemony." When I chose

another, the word "pedagogy"

was revealed; another showed

"counter-hegemonic video." We

laughed uproariously-the

scholarly presentations had been

rather stuffy and pretentiousand, in some instances, unneces-

sarily obscure and jargon-laden.Nonetheless, the conference was

successful in bringing togetherscholars and practitioners inter-

ested in promoting the ideals ofgrassroots, community-based,

democratic media, and rootingthe emergent theoretical per-spectives on lived practice. Themeeting was one event thathelped cultivate "public intellec-tuals," or "organic intellectuals,"or "philosopherpractitioners"-people who engage the worldthrough practice, reflect on thebroaderimpactof suchactions,witha the-oretically and politically based conscious-nessabout the implicationsof actionandthought.

I think about that experience inCincinnati at times. Accessparticipationtends to cultivate public intellectuals frommany different walks of life, involved inmany different capacities within access:producers,staff,viewers,boardmembers,

administrators. We need a space to gather

and theoretically frame our access experi-

ences' to place them in larger contexts -

political, social, or philosophical, to namebut a few. It doesn't take an advanceddegree to participate in these discussions.But it can help to have a guide to the con-versation.

Philosophical discussions related toaccessat timesdraw on shorthand termsin order to convey complex ideas in a

fully realize goals of equality and partici-patory democracy. They provide a morerobustunderstandingof the natureofpoli-tics and power within society than theone-dimensional views portrayed on ournightly network newscasts.

The American mass media train us not

to think too deeply about our lives, ourbeliefs, our relationship with the world.The corporate media promote anti-intel-lectualism and do little to encourage inde-

pendent analyticalor criticalthought. Accessparticipationshatters this model- encourag-inga processof explorationofandengagementwith ourselves,our communities, our world. Wesee that starting with the discov-ery of our own voice-or helpingsomeone discover theirs-we

can shape our world, we canmake a difference.

Here is a brief guide to someof the conceptsbehindthe dis-cussions:

The EnlightenmentThe 18th century European

philosophical movement uponwhich the founding philosophiesof the U.S. constitutional systemwere based. The

Enlightenment-the "AgeofReason"-applied "scientific,"rational thought to all areas oflife: morality, politics, social, reli-gion, philosophy, and science.The Enlightenment veneratedthe role of the independent,aloof, "objective"philosopher.Uberal democratic, republi-can; pluralist thought

Generic terms referring tothe Enlightenment-based princi-ples underlying the U.S. consti-tutional system. Whether dis-cussing "right" or "left" or "cen-

trist" political stances, the big picture ofU.S.political philosophy is a republican(representative) based system, encourag-ing grassroots participation with an equal-ityofrights (democratic),inclusiveofdiverse groups and thought (pluralist) andliberal (progressive, reform-oriented-fromthe perspectiveof the era of theEnlighten-ment) in approach.

Ideasrelatedto the"marketplaceof ....@IOO29

~~I

short period of time. Some of the morephilosophically-based critiques of access

and community media may seem a bit

alien to the uninitiated; they are based on

political and philosophical thought emerg-

ing primarily from the experiences ofWorld Wars I and II. These schools of

thought challenged many of the philo-sophical assumptions of the European andAmerican democracies in order to more

jhigginsText BoxCommunity Media Review 25.2, Summer 2002

ideas," "one person, one vote"-or "firstcome, first served"-stem from theseroots.

Critical

Not the same as "analytical." In thiscontext, "critical" refers to an analysis thatincludes power (political) relationships,may be self-reflexivein approach, andseeks social change. The term also identi-fies a particular approach to scholarlystudy that includes and transcends subjectareas such as communication, sociology,anthropology, politics, economics, etc.Critical theory disputes much of what itsees as naive (unproblematic, under-theo-rized) assumptions of the Enlightenment,while supporting the goals of personal andsocietal transcendence.

For example, a critical approach mightargue that the best way to achieve a "diver-sity of ideas" might not be from theEnlightenment-based "clash of ideas in themarketplace," but from a more coopera-tively-based model.

Critical thought emphasizes the role ofthe "organic intellectual"-the practition-er/philosopher who, guided by a politicaland philosophical awareness, is able to actwithin the world, reflect alone and withothers on the effect of those actions, andre-direct action accordingly-to changethe world.

Power

Notions of power are at the heart ofcritical thought and critiques of theEnlightenment. "Power"means issues ofdominance and acquiescence, of whichtraditional politics ("liberal democrat-ic"/"pluralist" discussions) are only a smallpart. An analysis of power within personalrelationships, the media, or society,includes an exploration of which groupsrule, which groups are subjugated, howthe situation got to be this way,what idealsand practices hold the unequal power rela-tionships in place, how the situation mightbe envisioned differently,and what actionsmight be taken to change the situation.These steps are applied from the micro tothe macro levels, from personal to societalsituations.

A critical analysis of "firstcome, firstserved," for example, would argue that thepolicy perpetuates unequal power rela-tionships in the society-since the peopleor groups most likelyto first come throughthe door are those who already exercisesome influence (power) in the community.

The policy of "first come, first served"

would be seen as politically naive in that itattempts to restructure societal powerrelationships (givingunheard voices anopportunity to be heard), but actuallyends up reinforcing the status quo.Hegemony

A key concept in the notion of power.Formulated by Italian activist and philoso-pher Antonio Gramsci in the 1930s,theconcept attempts to explain how poweractually operates within society.Hegemony is the ability of the dominantgroup(s) to exercise social and culturalleadership over subordinated group(s)-ANDto maintain power over the econom-ic, political, and cultural direction of thelarger society.This dominance is achievedthrough social and cultural means, not bydirect coercion of subordinated groups.

An active, shifting set of groupalliances, hegemony is said to work bestwhen hidden. We consent to work with the

dominant group, often against our ownself and/ or group interests. Hegemonyidentifies culture as a site of strugglebetween groups; in particular, the mediareinforce ideologies that help the domi-nant group stay in power, since the mediaserve to maintain the status quo.

Ofparticular significance to accesspractitioner/philosophers is the notion ofresistance to the hegemonic process: thatthere will alwaysbe resistance to the hege-monic process; opposition and alterna-tives can alwaysbe counted to spring up.

These alternatives will usually be "trashed"("marginalized")by mainstream thought,which is dominated by the hegemonicgroup.Pedagogy

An expanded conceptualization of"teaching" and "learning" that recognizesboth processes take place at the same time.Rather than being limited to just institu-tional schooling, pedagogy refers to the waywe learn about the world, and how weteach others to perceive the world. Withinthe critical perspective, these processes areconsidered sites of intense power and ideo-logical conflicts.Resources

I was led to graduate studies by a fascinat-ing comicbook that raised intellectual ques-tions within a fun format.So,I place a lotofstockin illustrated books-sort oflikeheftycomicbookswith thought-provokingcontent.Fora fun explorationof some of the ideas pre-sented above,try the illustrated/comicbookseries "Introducing..." or "...ForBeginners."Someof these include:

IntroducingtheEnlightenment,byLloydSpencerand AndrzejKrauze. Cambridge:Icon.2000.

Introducing Media Studies, by Ziauddin Sardarand Borin Van Loon. New York:Totem. 2000.

Introducing Cultural Studies, by ZiauddinSardar and Borin Van Loon. New York:Totem.1998.

Postmodernism for Beginners, by Jim Powell.New York:Writers and Readers. 1998.

Where. intheWorld...continu,ed from page 27

people around the world who are dedicated to dialogue and democratic exchange. In

2~93 ~:re.~l~: a:V°~~~Sum~it ?Ilth~.I~:or~~tiOIl S?=ie~ at~e I~ter~ati?nalI '~\TerecornmunicationsUnion (ITt]) in Geneva. For*thex'firsttimegroups from civil sod..

ety will take part. In the past it has only been business and governments. There is aii!gto~Q~J§rn~yeIU~Ilt;!to.~~ve/p.ernocrq;ticcornIUuJ:!ica~ioIlfiIl~Y011th~ age.Ildq;;oft~isinternational organization which, among other activities, assigns the global orbitalslots for satellites. I hope that Alliance members will find out about this meeting

eff'brt..litaw'tecelltmeet1'Ilgto p~~-pare for this summit at UNESCOin Paris, I proposed that the ITD consider requiring

,~~L~iU~ary!~ateUite~to have,a P~?P?~tio~of Ihei,~tra~spq~p.e.Xsdedic,~te~to ~eac~..,.It'sa'bout time. Ofcourse that win ta1

Resourcesfor theAccessPractitioner/PhilosopherORGANIZATIONS

Our Media, Not TheirsA one day gathering of scholars

and practitioners of alterna-tive media fromaround the world to

discuss practical andtheoretical issues within

"alternative," "radical,""community," "citizens'"media. The focus is primarilyoll the Americas and Europe.The 2001 conference was in

Washington, nc.; the 2002 gather-ing is scheduled for July 20 inBarcelona. Information and papersfrom the conferences are available onthe Our Media website:

faculty. menlo.edu/ -jhiggins/ourmedia

Union for Democratic Communication

This organization brings togetheractivists in academics and community-based media to explore issues within alter-native media. Visit www.udc.orgBOOKS

The Daily Planet: A Criticon the CapitalistCultureBeat, by Patricia Aufderheide.Minneapolis: University of MinnesotaPress, 2000.

This collection of essays by culturalcritic and public intellectual PatAufderheide explores a range of issuesrelated to the practice and culture ofmedia in the U.S. and around the world.

Topics include fIlm,broadcasting, theInternet, media literacy, public policy, aswell as access cable television's contribu-

tion to the public sphere. Internationalconcerns concentrate on cinema and

grassroots video in Latin America.

Fissures in the Mediascape:An

International Study of Citizens'Media, byClemencia Rodriguez. Cresskill,NJ:Hampton, 2001.

Rodriguez presents four internationalcase studies in grassroots electronicmedia, framing the discussion within thecontext of the democratization of commu-nication and the survival of cultural identi-

ties. She explores numerous instances of"citizen'smedia" around the world, and

focuses on instances in revolutionaryNicaragua in the 1980s;Catalonia, Spain;Colombia; and Latino radio in the U.S.

Rodriguez provides a con-text for understanding the man-

ner in which "citizen'smedia" contribute

to social change.

Hand-HeldVisions:TheUsesofCommunityMedia,byDeeDeeHalleck.NewYork:Fordham University Press, 2002.

Media activist and film/video makerDeeDee Halleck shares stories and

thoughts from her three decades of experi-ence with community-based media in theU.S. and around the world. The essays thatmake up this book are drawn from diaryentries, articles, conference keynoteaddresses and presentations. Halleckthoughtfully combines people's stories,case studies, personal experiences, andtheoretical frameworks to make the case

for grassroots-oriented media and nation-al/international policies that encouragecommunity media. Topics touch on theorigins of Paper TigerTV;Deep DishNetwork, and GulfCrisisTVProject; publicaccess cable television as an international

model of community- based media;women and media; international examplesof alternative media; and the Indy MediaCenter movement. The book includes a

timeline of technology and alternativemedia- a helpfultoolforanyoneexplor-ing the history of media industries andmedia activism in the U.S.

JammingtheMedia:A Citizen'sGuide:ReclaimingtheToolsofCommunication,

byGareth Branwyn. San Francisco:Chronicle Books, 1997.

Branwyn explains how to use publicaccess television, the internet, fIlm, radio,

'zines, and other media-from conception,

through production, to distribution.

RadicalMedia: RebelliousCommunication and

Social Movements, by John

Downing, with TamaraVillareal Ford,Geneve Gil,and Laura Stein.Thousand

Oaks,CA:Sage,2001.Downing, et. al., present a theoretical

framework in which to consider "radical,""alternative" media, including notions ofaudience, power, hegemony, community,and the public sphere. Organizationalmodels of radical media are discussed.

Various media in Europe and the U.S. areexplored, including print, radio, video, theInternet, community radio, and publicaccess television.

The VideoActivist Handbook. 2nd ed., byThomas Harding. London: Pluto Press,1997.

Harding provides examples of videoactivism around the world, as well as skillsand strategies for pursuing social changeusing video as a tool.PUBLICATIONS

Community Media Review. 25th

Anniversary Issue (24.2:Summer 2001).This issue of CMR,a publication of theAlliance for Community Media, highlightsthe 25th anniversary of the Alliance (for-merly the National Federation of LocalCable Programmers). Historical and philo-sophically-oriented articles trace the rootsof access in the U.S. and the continuinguse of grassroots-based, democratic mediain the struggle for a more equitable society.

Amust foreveryoneinterested in therootsand current state of affairs of the commu-

nity access video movement in the U.S.Toorder,visitwww.alliancecm.org.

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