This study took a novel experimental approach from the field of cognitive
linguistics to quantitatively describe the impact of culture on the use of mobile
information and communication technology (ICT) in the context of peace and
conflict. Beginning with the hypothesis that ICT reflects a mono-cultural
perspective for collecting and organizing information, this study tested how a
failure to adapt at a cognitive level resulted in distorted narratives. This
distortion has problematic implications for democratic participation in postconflict
contexts and in data aggregation initiatives that inform policy decisions
related to governance, election monitoring, human rights abuse reporting, and
conflict management more broadly. Fieldwork from the Acholi region of
Uganda supported the conclusion that current ICT tools used in conflict
management contexts fundamentally distort the narratives they were designed
to collect at a cognitive level. Findings from this research also presented
avenues for software development around a new variable for cultural
communication preference.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/7510 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Sutherlin, Gwyneth Burke |
| Contributors | Chesters, Graeme |
| Publisher | University of Bradford, School of Social and International Studies, Department of Peace Studies |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, doctoral, PhD |
| Rights | <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. |
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