citizenry negotiation by means of radio in rural nepal

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Draft 19-Aug-09: Citizenry negotiation by means of radio in rural Nepal – some theoretical reflexions 1 Citizenry negotiation by means of radio in rural Nepal: some theoretical reflexions Jacob Thorsen Abstract Following a civil war against the vast inequalities and widespread misuse of power, Nepal experiences a moment of major socio‐political changes. Democracy has recently been reinstated, a fragile peace established and formulation of future policies begun. Numerous new radio stations have mushroomed in recent years and are envisaged to play a major role in facilitating community development and democratic processes. This paper brings up some of the theoretical reflexions on radio and citizenry negotiation in rural Nepal and discusses, from a theoretical point of view, what occurs with the arrival of an additional medium in a location unexposed to electronic media and dominated by illiteracy and inequality, and the foreseeable new communicational practices not previously possible that could spark citizenry negotiation in the community. Introduction Nepal currently undergoes fundamental socio‐political changes. Nepal first gained democracy in 1990 but an escalating violent conflict gradually destabilised this. The parliament was dissolved in 2002 and the King claimed autocratic leadership in February 2005. The conflict was initiated in 1996 by Maoists protesting against the vast inequalities and widespread misuse of power in the country. In April 2006 mass protests of the »Janaa Andolan« (people’s movement) spread through the country and as a result a constituent assembly was elected in May last year. The new elected parliament has declared Nepal as a secular state and thus ended the era of the world’s only Hindu Kingdom.

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Page 1: Citizenry negotiation by means of radio in rural Nepal

Draft19­Aug­09:CitizenrynegotiationbymeansofradioinruralNepal–sometheoreticalreflexions

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CitizenrynegotiationbymeansofradioinruralNepal:sometheoreticalreflexions

JacobThorsen

Abstract

Followingacivilwaragainstthevastinequalitiesandwidespreadmisuseofpower,

Nepalexperiencesamomentofmajorsocio‐politicalchanges.Democracyhas

recentlybeenreinstated,afragilepeaceestablishedandformulationoffuture

policiesbegun.Numerousnewradiostationshavemushroomedinrecentyearsand

areenvisagedtoplayamajorroleinfacilitatingcommunitydevelopmentand

democraticprocesses.Thispaperbringsupsomeofthetheoreticalreflexionson

radioandcitizenrynegotiationinruralNepalanddiscusses,fromatheoreticalpoint

ofview,whatoccurswiththearrivalofanadditionalmediuminalocation

unexposedtoelectronicmediaanddominatedbyilliteracyandinequality,andthe

foreseeablenewcommunicationalpracticesnotpreviouslypossiblethatcouldspark

citizenrynegotiationinthecommunity.

Introduction

Nepalcurrentlyundergoesfundamentalsocio‐politicalchanges.Nepalfirstgained

democracyin1990butanescalatingviolentconflictgraduallydestabilisedthis.The

parliamentwasdissolvedin2002andtheKingclaimedautocraticleadershipin

February2005.Theconflictwasinitiatedin1996byMaoistsprotestingagainstthe

vastinequalitiesandwidespreadmisuseofpowerinthecountry.InApril2006

massprotestsofthe»JanaaAndolan«(people’smovement)spreadthroughthe

countryandasaresultaconstituentassemblywaselectedinMaylastyear.Thenew

electedparliamenthasdeclaredNepalasasecularstateandthusendedtheeraof

theworld’sonlyHinduKingdom.

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Paralleltothepoliticalchanges,independentradiosareemerginginrapidpaceand

envisagedtoplayamajorroleindevelopingcommunitiesandfacilitating

negotiationofcitizenry.Thepathofdevelopmentanddemocratisation,however,is

longandchallenging.Asthisarticleiswritten(mid‐May2009),theNepalArmyhas

twochiefs,thepresidentisbehavinglikeachiefexecutiveandtheresignationofthe

primeministerhasmadeuncertaintyoncemoretheonlycertaintyofNepalipolitics.

AlthoughNepal’ssalienttransitionawayfromfaithdirectedandfeudaltraditions,

thecurrentsituationisoneofseveralmanifestationsthatNepal’sold‐established

hierarchicalpatterns,traditionalloyaltiesandnepotisticattitudesarestillintact.

TheApril2006movementdidprovecivilianmusclestochallengetheestablished

orderbutamajorityoftheNepalesepopulationisstillbyandlargeexcludedfrom

thepoliticalstructuresandoneofthereasonstothecurrentturmoil.

Althoughasocietyhasnumerousinfluences,thisarticlefocusesonthetheoretical

reflexionsonradioandcitizenrynegotiationinNepalfortwomainreasonsandone

practical.Firstly,Nepalexemplifiesaverytimelycaseasnewradiostationsthese

yearsemergerapidlyandareseentoplayamajorroleincommunitydevelopment

andfacilitationofcitizenrynegotiation.Secondly,Nepalexperiencesamomentof

majorsocio‐politicalchanges.Democracyhasrecentlybeenreinstated,afragile

peaceestablishedandformulationoffuturepoliciesbegun.Radioandmediain

generalhavebeeninthe»eyeofthestorm«duringtheconflict,especiallyradiosin

ruralareas,seenasmajorresourcesandsymbolicfactorstobegainedbybothsides

oftheconflict.Nepalthusprovidesanopportunitytofollowthereinterpretationof

thevaluesofcitizenrynegotiationfacilitatedbyradiointhemidstofmajorchanges.

Andthirdlyduetopracticalconstrains,empiricaldatarelatedtotheresearchofmy

PhDwillbecollectedinRolpadistrictduringfieldstudiesautumn2009and2010.

Thisarticlethereforeonlycontainssomeofthetheoreticalreflexionsrelatedtomy

research.

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Bringingcitizenryoutoftheempiricalvoid

Contrarytomainstreamdebatesoncitizenship,whichtendtobedominatedbythe

commonlyuseddejureunderstandingsappliedbyconventionalstate‐centred

approachesthatconcentrateonthelegalbestowmentofthestate(Jones&Gaventa

2002),severalscholarsarguetobringthediscussionofcitizenshipoutofthe

»empiricalvoid«(Kabeer2005;Gaventa2005).Theychallengetheliberal

understandingofcitizenshipandarguetofocusonthewayspeopledefine,perceive

andactonnotionsofcitizenship.Thisallowsforanapproachofsocialization

throughcommunity‐basedinitiativesandatransformativeunderstandingof

citizenship,highlightingpeople’spossibilitiestoclaimrightsandexerciseagency

(Hickey&Mohan2004)andhowrights,responsibilitiesandentitlementsare

perceived,shapedandstruggledforbypeople.Citizenshipislinkedtosocialpolicy

andtherolepeopleplayinaffectingandrequiringservices,perceivingpeopleas

active»makersandshapers«ofpolicies(asopposedtousers)wherebythenotionof

serviceproviders(givers)isrejected(Cornwall&Gaventa2001;Hickey&Mohan

2004).

Nepal’sdemocraticexperiencesince1990hasopenedthepublicspacetoalmost

everyone.ThisisseenintheupsurgeofNGO’sfromahandfultoroughly5.000

today(Shakya2008:273)andthemassivemobilisationoftraditionally

marginalisedgroups(poor,downtrodden,ethnic,so‐calledlowcaste,women,etc.)

takingadvantageoftheopenspacetoarticulatetheiraspirationsandmake

demands.MostnotablyseenintheApril2006massprotestswhereliterallypeople

fromallwalksoflifejoinedthemovement,whicheventuallyleadtothe

reinstatementofapopularparliamentlastyear.

Nepal’sdemocraticchallenges

AlthoughanawakenedcivilsocietyandNepalsince1990hasheldmanymultiparty

electionsandexperiencedfrequentalternationofpower,thepublicremainshighly

disaffectedfromthepoliticalsystemandthereislittlerealsenseofdemocratic

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accountability.Oneofthekeypoliticalproblemsistheblurringofthelinebetween

thestateandtherulingparty.Thestate’smainassets–thatistosaythestateasa

sourceofmoney,jobs,health,education,andtosomeextentpoliceandmilitary

powerareputinthedirectserviceoftheeliteandrulingparty.

Kumar(2008)describeshowNepalileadership–whetheratlocaloratnational

level–cannotbebuiltapartfromtheconstitutivesocialstructure,whichis

predominantlyundemocratic.Kumardescribes»leadership«inNepalassocial

categorycorrespondingtopower,authorityandhegemony/domination,ratherthan

afacilitatorofcollectiveinterests(ibid:25).AccordingtoKumar,leadershipin

Nepalsubsistswithintheconfinesoftheaphnomanche(one’sownpeople)against

arukomanche(otherpeople),thusfosteringgroupismtocompetefor(state)power

(ibid:27).Thereby,intrapartyrivalryandfactionalismhasreplacedelectionsasa

measuretoachievecommonlyacceptablepoliticalauthority,andpoliticshasbeen

subsumedintothenumbersgameinwhichthehegemonyofthemajorityprevailed

andthosewhofoundthemselvesintheminorityremainedunscrupulously

disaffectedwiththeoutcomesoftheprocess.

OneoftheleadinganthropologistsinNepal,DonBahadurBista(1991),describes

howfatalismisdominatingmostspheresofNepalesesocietytoanextentpeople

believetheyhavenosenseofresponsibilitytowardssocietyatlarge(ibid:80)or

personalcontroloverone’slifecircumstancesasthesearedeterminedthrougha

divineorpowerfulexternalagency.Fatalism,hesays,hasconsequencesonthe

senseoftimeandinparticularsuchthingsastheconceptofplanning,orientationto

thefuture,senseofcausality,humandignityandpunctuality,whichagainisrelated

tothevariousformsofdependency(ibid:4).Helinks»dependency«withthe

harmoniouscooperativesocialbehaviourwithintheindigenousgroupsandtheir

senseofcollectiveness(ibid:99).

InNepalcollectivismalsomanifestsinthesocialinstitutionofaphnomanche,which

hasthepotentialofbeingconstructivelyusedasanaturalformofsocial

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organisation,butitcanalsoreadilybesubvertedasseenintheHinducastesystem

andexperiencedintoday’spolitics.Inparticularitencouragesproblemsof

inclusion‐exclusion,asgroupmembersgainparticularprivileges.Adesiredcircleof

aphnomanchecanevenbepurchasedthroughtradedprivilegesorbychakari

(sycophancy)flatteringinfluentialpersons(Bista1991:89).Withaphnomanche

onefindsexclusionarytendencies,factionalism,failureincooperation,and

corruptionsinvariousformsleadingtomalfunctioninganddissatisfactionatevery

level.

Theconsequencesofthelittleagreementbetweencompetinggroupsandcollectives

toabidebytherulesofademocraticpoliticalsystemhaveconsequencesatalso

locallevel.Intheabsenceofanyrealdelegationofpower,localbodiesremains

overtlydependentoncentralauthority.Theoutcomeisnodevelopednational

consciousnessanda»democracywithoutcitizens«tousePfaff‐Czarnecka’s(2008:

73)terminology.Acountrythatenactsshallowpoliticalreformsbuthasnotfully

conceptualisedhowtoinvolvecitizensintheongoingtransformationofthecountry.

Hence,toalargemajorityofthepopulationthepublic,citizenry,thestate,thenation

areallbutabstractconcepts.

Electro‐magnetisationofpublicspace

Newandindependenttelevisionchannelsandradiostationsdidalsotakeadvantage

oftheopenpublicspaceafterthecomingofdemocracyin1990.Inparticularnew

radiostationsmushroomedinrapidpaceintheslipstreamoftheApril2006

movementandcountstodaymorethan200comparedto45(Onta2006:116)

beforethemovement.Asignificantproportionofthenewradiossurfaceinrural

areasnotpreviouslyexposedtoelectronicmedia.Theseareasareingeneralthe

poorerandlessdevelopedregionsofNepalwhereadultliteracyratearound30

percentisn’tunusual(UN:2005),andwheretheconsolidationofpoliticaland

economicpowertypicallyisinterlinkedwiththesocialinstitutionofaphnomanche

andtheHinducastesystemcharacterisedbydominance/subordinance.

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Thearrivalofanadditionalmediuminalocationunexposedtoelectronicmediaand

dominatedbyilliteracyandinequalityimpliesachangeofthecommunicational

platforminthecommunityandachangeallowinganumberofnew

communicationalpracticesnotpreviouslypossible.Inasocietywithdominanceof

primaryoralityallsoundisinherentlypowerful(Ong1982:32).Speechisaformof

soundthatsharesthiscommonpower.Likeothersounds,itcomesfromwithina

livingorganism.Atextcanbeignoredasitjustissomewritingonpaper.Butto

ignorespeechcanberiskyasourbasicinstinctscompelustopayattention.

Writing,incomparison,ispowerfulinadifferentway:itpermitspeopletogenerate

ideas,storethem,andretrievethemasneededacrosstimeinahighlyefficientand

accurateway.InNepalittraditionallywerethepriestlyBrahmansatthetopofthe

Hinduritualorderthatmanagedthemantras,ritualsandsacredliteratureandhas

beneaththemkings,warriors,merchants,peasantsandlabourers.Beneath

everyonearetheoccupationalgroupsconsideredthesocalled»impure«and

»untouchables«.Officiallyabolishedin1963,caste‐baseddiscrimination,while

diluted,remainseventodayinNepal.Thefactonlyveryfewhaveaccesstowriting

technologylimitsthedevelopmentofcomplexideasandtheinstitutionsthat

dependonthem.Instead,sustainedthoughtinoralsettingsdependson

interpersonalcommunication,andstoringcomplexideasoveralongperiodoftime

requirespackagingtheminhighlymemorableways,generallybyusingmnemonic

tools(Ong1982:284)suchastheHindumantrasforexample.

Thedevelopmentofnewwaysofcommunication–inthiscasebymeansofradio–

impliesatremendousincreaseinculturalinteraction,includingthoseexcluded

beforeduetocasteorilliteracyforexample,andhencehomogenisationbetween

previouslylessconnectedandhencemoredivergentcultures.Sincecommunication

canonlytakeplaceifacommonplatformemergesanddevelops,communication

implyakindofbridge‐building,resultinginthedevelopmentofsharedcodesand

meansofcommunication.SusanDouglas(1999)describes,forexample,howthe

emergenceofradiointheUSAinthe1930’splayedapivotalroleinhelpingpeople

toimaginethemselvesandtheirrelationshipsdifferentlyandconstructedimagined

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communitiesandcultivatedbothasenseofnationhoodandvalidationof

subcultures.Withtheradioitispossibleforthefirsttimetoenteraspacethatis

outsidethe»normal«limitforinteraction.AccordingtoMcLuhan(1967)theradio

mediumcreatesanintimaterelationbetweentheradiohostandthelistenerandhas

especiallyinthebeginningasuggestiveimpact(ibid:330).AnexampleiswhenThe

WaroftheWorldswasbroadcastedintheUSAin1938andpeoplewerefleeingtheir

homesaroundthecountrytoescapetheinvadingMartianssorealisticallyportrayed

(Douglas1999:165).Inotherwordsradioaswellasotherelectronicmedia

transformsthe»immediate«(takenforgranted/noobjectorspaceintervening)into

mediatedpossibilityofwhattoknowandtothinkbyshapingtheindividuals

attention,emotionsandthesemioticnatureofindividuals’relationshiptotheworld

aroundthem.

Spacerestructured

Electronicmediasuchasradiocircumventtheinvariantrelationshipbetween

informationandspaceastheyassimilateasubstantialpartoftheknowledge

previouslyreservedtoanexclusivegroupinadeterminedlocation,suchas

Brahmanpriestsintemplesforexample.Insocietiesdominatedbyprimaryorality,

communicationthroughwritingandbooksis»automatically«restrictedtothose

whoknowtherequiredaccesscode,andevenamongthosewhohaveknowledgeof

thebasiccode,messagescanbedirectedatdifferentgroupsbyvaryingthe

complexityofthecodedmessage.Societybecomesdividedintothedistinctsetsof

informationsystemsonthebasisofdifferentlevelsofreadingabilityandilliterates

arethereforeexcludedfromallprintcommunication(Meyrowitz1985:75).

Electronicmedia,however,hasnosuchconstrainsandinvolvesanaccesscode

appearingmore»realitylike«thansentencesandparagraphsdo,wherebyitisnot

requiredtopenetrateacomplexsuperimposedfilterofprintedsymbolsto»enter«

thecommunicationsituation(ibid:76).

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»Listeningforgedpowerfulconnectionsbetweenpeople’sinnerthinking

selvesandotherselves,otherselvesfromquitefarawayplaces.Thisinterior

“I”beganoscillatingwiththevoicesofthosenevermet,neverevenseen«

(Douglas1999:31).

Groupidentityisbasedonsharedalthoughspecialinformationonehasinregardto

othersinthegroup.Themoreseparateinformationthemoreseparategroups,

whichinitsextremeismanifestedintheHinducastesystem.Theabilityof

electronicmediatocoalescencemanyseparatesituationshomogenisesgroup

identities.Electronicmediablurthelinesbetweenphysicalencountersand

mediatedonesandgiveaccesstoinformationonlyattainablebeingphysically

presentinasituation.AccordingtoMeyrowitz(1985)theyprovideasortof»side

stageview«inrevealingbackstageinformationofperformers.1Insuchoverlapping

offrontandbackregionsnewregionalbehaviourdevelops,whichMeyrowitzcalls

middleregionbehaviourwhenthedividinglinebetweenonstageandbackstage

behaviourmoveineitherdirectionwherebythenatureofthedramachanges

accordingly.Themorerehearsalspacethatislost,themoretheonstagedrama

comestoresembleanextemporaneousbackstagerehearsal;whenthebackstage

areaisincreasedinsize,thentheonstagebehaviourcanbecomeevenmoreformal

(ibid:47).Theelectronicmedia’smergingofprivateandpublicspheres,alongwith

itsabilitytorevealbackstageinformation,leadsnotonlytonewregionsbutalso

moreimportantly,newbehavioursandnewroles.Asplaceandinformationaccess

becomedisconnected,place‐specificbehavioursandactivitiesbegintofade(ibid:

148).

1MeyrowitzisinfluencedbyErvingGoffman’s(1990)writingsandhisdramaturgicalperspectiveinwhichheportrayslifeastheatre,usingthismetaphorasatolltoanalyseanddescribesocial

interaction.

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Animportantfactorinthischangeisthemedia’sabilitytorevealteam’ssecrets,

hichwereformerlylinkedtoitsbackstage,inthesenseofplacement.Increased

accesstogroup’sinformation‐systemhasboththeeffectofdecreasingimportance

oftraditionalgroupstiesandincreasingimportanceofothertypesofassociation

(Meyrowitz1985:131).RadioinNepalhasinthisregardauniqueposition,taking

intoaccountthecountry’smountainousandinaccessibletopography,highlevelsof

illiteracy,multipleethnicities,castesandlanguagesandaradioreceiver’srelatively

lowprice.Radio,alongwithotherelectronicmedia,restructurestimeandspaceso

tospeak,astheperceptionofdistanceisredefinedbecauseauralperceptionsmedia

arerepresentedinparallelspacessimultaneouslynomattergeography,caste,

gender,age,etc.Thisgivesscopeforadecreaseinthelocalbodiesdependencyon

centralauthorityanddelutetheaphnomancheandcastebasedgroupconsolidation

ofpoliticalandeconomicpowerinfavourofnewandinclusivegroupformations.

Senselessnessandimagination

Theblurringofsocialrolesthroughmedia’sdemystifyingeffectallowtheexposure

ofbackstagebehavioursandgroupsecretsthatotherwiseshouldhavebeenlearned

throughsocialisation–orneverlearnedatall.Thisleadstoadecreaseinextreme

behaviourandinMeyrowitz’viewmorehomogenisedbehaviouralpatterns,which

mightoffersomeanswerstowhytheindividualdealswithgrowingfeelingof

displacementandmediocrityinthemodernsociety.Theelectronicmediahas,soto

speak,alteredthesociallandscapeandtheworldmightsuddenlytomanypeople

seemsenseless,asitforthefirsttimeinmodernhistoryisrelativelyplaceless

(Meyrowitz1985:308).

Onecouldarguethecivilwar,politicalvacuumandtheincreasingnumberof

electronicmediaarerudimentarytowhymanyNepalesepeopletheseyears»sense

senselessness«anda»questforidentity«.Aspeoplebyandlargestillareexcluded

fromthepoliticalstructuresandculturalidentitiesthusarefeltdeeperandstronger

thanpoliticalones(Lal2002:115),severalgroups–manyalongethniclines–claim

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autonomyandrighttoself‐determination,asespeciallyseeninthelowerbeltof

Nepal,Terai.Beforetheeraoftheelectronicmediathisquestwasalmostunheardof

inpublic,suppressedornegotiatedandstruggledforinphysicalspace.Withthe

emergenceofradio,however,numerousrepresentationsofsocialsituationsand

positionsarepossibleinanalteredspace.Theelectromagneticspectrumtoavast

majoritystillisanabstractconceptinlinewiththepublic,thestateandthenation.

Anetherealdimensionusuallyoccupiedbyoraclesandanimaginatoryrealitywith

hopes,dreams,aspirationsorfantasyobjectssuchasMartians.

Appadurai(1996)describeshowconceptionsofthefutureplayafarlargerrole

thanideasofthepastgrouppoliticstodayalthoughprimordialistprojectionsonto

thepastarenotirrelevanttothecontemporarypoliticsofimagination(ibid:145).

Agencyisnotonlystructuredbycollectivenorms,values,experiencesandprevious

practisebutisalsoguidedbyafutureelementandpeople’simagination.Asradio

hasbothlocalphysicalrepresentation(buildingwithstudiofacilities,antennaand

localstaffs)aswellas»etherealrepresentation«(»invisiblevoice«fromfaraway

places)radiobecomes,incollaborationwithothermediaandcivicandstateagents,

avitalagentfortransformationofimaginatoryandabstractconceptssuchasthe

public,thestateandthenationintoreal‐lifepractise.

Discrepancyexposure

Asradiograduallybecomesembeddedinpeople’sday‐to‐daylifeandmergethe

spheresofbackstageandfrontstagebehaviour,discrepancyandhypocrisyis

exposedwhichovertimewillleadtothebirthofnewbehaviouralpatterns.I

hypothesisetheexposureofdiscrepancyhighlights(Bourdieuian)fieldsrequiring

furthercapital(economic,culturaland/orsocial)toachieveconsistency.These

»fields«mightatfirstglanceappear»Meyrowitziansenseless«becausetheyalter

space,subjectivetimeandsensitiveboundsastheyarenotnecessarilyboundtoa

certainplace,caste,familyorface‐to‐facecollectivismsuchasmanifestedinthe

socialinstitutionofaphnomanche.However,maybe»senselessness«actually

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containelementsthatareindisguiseofexactlytheoppositeandwhatparadoxically

andhenceshouldbelabelled»purpose«asthesefieldscontainelementsofreason

andasketchoftheabstractand(needfor)moderncompositionofindependent

institutionsandseparationofpowers.

A»field«inaBourdieuiansenseischaracterisedbyacertainstructureandinner

autonomywithnormsandhierarchiesinwhicheachactorhasacertainpositionin

relationtooneanother.However,nofieldiscompletelyautonomousandis

influencedbyotherfieldsandBourdieudistinguishesbetweenafield’sautonomous

andheteronomouspole.Theautonomouspoleisdefinedasthefield’sownlogicin

whichactorsoperateaccordingtothefield’sownassessmentcriteriawhereasthe

heteronomouspoleisinfluencedbyotherfieldssuchasthemarket,politicsandthe

media.

Mediahasalsoanautonomousandheteronomouspoleinwhichtheautonomous

polehasnormsforprofessionaljournalismandpressethicswhereasthe

heteronomouspoleisinfluencedbyforexamplecommercialsfromthemarketand

legislationbythepoliticians.Highprofessionalstandards,autonomy,community

representationandminimaleditorialinfluencefromthestateandmarketare

obviouslyallinfluentialontheradio’sabilitytofacilitatecitizenrynegotiation.

Inadditiontomedia’ssidestageexposurediscloseinconsistency,Iarguethemedia

increasinglywilltakeaprominentpositioninanincreasingnumberoffield’s

Autonomouspole(jield’s

ownassessmentcriteria)

Heteronomouspole(injluencefromotherjields)

Figure1:Bourdieuianfield

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heteronomouspoleandtherebychallengethefield’sautonomouspolebyfacilitating

publicdialogue,publicaccessandexposuretothedifferentstateinstitutionsaswell

aschallengethemanydifferentsocialinstitutionsofaphnomanchethatinfiltrate

today’spoliticsinNepal.Radioaswellasothermediaensuresconsistency

(neutralisation/exposureofinconsistencyandhypocrisy)andspaceforcivicand

facilitativepublic‐servicepractitionerstoassureNepalwithitsmultiple

communitiescanpursuedifferentexperiencesofandaspirationsfordevelopment.

Finalremarks

Asradioentersintopeople’sday‐to‐daylifeandmergethespheresofbackstageand

frontstagebehaviourthelistenerexperiencestheprivatesituationismorphedwith

thepublicasanextendedspacewhereradioprovidesa»horizonofknowledge«that

assiststheindividualtoexerciseagencyinapublicdomain.Thereby,potentialsfor

diversityandmultipleperceptionsoftheworldarefurtheredandimminentand

immanentformsofdevelopmentgraduallytranscendintoakindofsocialcontract

betweencitizensandauthoritywhereeachstakeholderhashisorhershareinthe

transformationalprocess.

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Theauthor

JacobThorsenisPhDstudentatDepartmentforInformationandMediaStudiesat

AarhusUniversityandhisresearchtopicisNegotiatingcitizenrybymeansofradio,

poorandmarginalisedpeople'saspirationsandstrategiesinruralNepal.Beforehis

PhDhehasworkedwithdevelopmentandcommunityradioinLatinAmericaand

recentlyfouryearsinNepal.