No description available.

The last 15 years has exemplified severe deficiencies in the institutional design of the European Union (EU). The EU suffers from a democratic deficit, which is demonstrated in the neglect if citizens preferences and their influence on decision making processes. This democratic deficit impacts not only the authority and legitimacy of the union but raises concerns between the EU and the world. The democratic deficit remains because of the lack of a European public sphere (EPS), an element which Habermas argues is necessary for democracy development. While previous research has found evidence for its existence in social networks and masss-media, this study broadens the field and investigates the potential existence if an EPS in a physical political network, namely the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). By conducting a quantitative content analysis, the study reveals clear indications of an EPS within the committee in which it is highly engaged in. Their engagement in the sphere is crucial to increase influence and power, as their engagement can decrease the democratic deficit, increase the legitimacy of the EU, and favour smooth cooperation between the member states, and between the EU and the world.

[pt] O foco desta dissertação recai sobre os múltiplos usos e apropriações de um espaço - o barracão de pesca - através de uma situação específica: o conflito envolvendo pescadores que exercem diferentes artes de pesca e barraqueiros, na Praia de Piratininga, em Niterói (RJ). Primeiramente, a partir do trabalho de campo, descrevo a localidade e os atores envolvidos, assim como as disputas que ocorrem na praia, sobretudo com a aproximação do verão. Em um segundo momento, tento responder, com o auxílio de conceitos e teorias, as questões suscitadas pela pesquisa empírica, que dizem respeito à noção de espaço público no Brasil, as representações sobre a praia, os interesses em jogo e os sentidos atribuídos a esse lugar. Finalizo com uma análise interpretativa do conflito que permeia a estrutura política do grupo e dos mecanismos utilizados para administrá-lo. / [en] The focus of this master thesis lies on the multiple uses and appropriations regarding a space - the fishing shed - through a specific situation: the conflict involving fishermen who practice different fishing gear and barraqueiros, in Piratininga Beach, Niterói, RJ. Firstly, from the fieldwork, I describe the locality and the actors involved, as well as the disputes that occur on the beach, especially as summer approaches. Posteriorly, I try to answer, through concepts and theories, the questions raised by empirical research, regarding the notion of public space in Brazil, the representations about the beach, the interests at stake and the meanings attributed to that place. Finally, I conclude with an interpretive analysis of the conflict that is present in the political structure of the group and the mechanisms used to manage it.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

A well-functioning media is a given part of any society, and can be a valuable tool in the democratising process of a country. The media is traditionally given the role of providing citizens with information about political events in society, and as a result enabling them to make informed decisions. Before the 1990s most of the Middle Eastern and North African media was controlled by governments and because of that they often failed in their responsibility as information providers. As new media such as the internet and satellite television were introduced to the region, the media paradigm shifted and a new arena for public debate arose and has continued to grow ever since. During the 2010-2011 uprisings in the region social media platforms were used by citizens to spread news about demonstrations and political moves, not only within countries, but also globally. Livestreaming applications in particular were used successfully, and videos filmed by citizen journalists were broadcast on international media channels This thesis focuses on the use of livestreaming by citizen journalists in Egypt and Syria to accomplish a social change, and on citizen journalism as an act of civic engagement. To provide an analytic frame, this thesis uses the work of Dahlgren (2009) and his six modes of civic engagement, to better and understand the role of citizen journalists in changing society. Through a number of qualitative interviews with citizen journalists, traditional journalists and Bambuser, this thesis concludes that citizen journalism did play and still plays an important role when it comes to civic engagement in Egypt and Syria although weather or not it might be able to take the role of traditional media in society remains to be seen. The interviews with citizen journalists were conducted in Cairo, Egypt and funded through a Minor Field Study grant.

New technologies, such as social media and web services, are becoming increasingly common and important tools for community radio stations. The convergence of community radio, social media and web services opens up new opportunities for participation from the audience and challenges previous conceptions of community, participation, empowerment and the public sphere. This study focuses on how this convergence affects notions of participation, empowerment, community and the public sphere as well as the resulting challenges and opportunities. The study was conducted at three community radio stations in the Western Cape, South Africa and used a mixed-methods approach of qualitative interviews, a survey and netnographic observations of social media and web presence.The findings show that social media and web services increases and changes participation by extending possibilities to interact independently of spatiotemporal limitations of radio broadcasts. It has direct effects on the content of the radio shows and the audience is empowered as co-producers and contributors of content. Additionally, the interaction itself creates new content in other mediums, such as blogs. The study also shows how the converging public spheres of community radio and social media are contradictory as participation becomes economized and exclusionary and relies heavily on financial means, access and digital literacy of the community. The expanded, global reach of community radio also challenges the notion of community as it includes distant and diasporic communities. However, the presence in the global mediascape harmonizes with community radio values of self-representation and self-expression. The study concludes that community radio stations need to both strategize their social media use while balancing their mandate to be a voice of the voiceless that lack access and/or digital literacy to participate.