This dissertation engages in a longitudinal study of the method of grassroots comics
(Packalen & Sharma, 2007) amongst the Khwe people in the community of Platfontein,
which is situated outside of Kimberley, South Africa. The study is largely informed by
contemporary shifts in development theory, particularly that of participatory communication,
which values individuals who live in the community as active participants in the research
process.
The use of grassroots comics (Packalen & Sharma, 2007) is largely based on theoretical
concepts surfacing in current literature regarding the field development communication,
which is somewhat critical of older, more dominant theories of development. Instead of
applying a predetermined, uniform model of communication to multiple different settings in
which varying development issues exist, this study is driven by the active involvement of
community stakeholders throughout every stage of the research process. This includes the
identification of community issues, the utilization of grassroots comics in the context of
adapting and communicating about those issues on a community-wide scale, and the overall
analysis of the process once research has been carried out.
This particular study focuses on general health issues and how these might affect the Khwe
community from a development perspective. However, what is of central importance is how
the comics created by certain stakeholders in the community might serve as a means of
promoting participatory communication amongst the local population, for the sake of
alleviating certain health issues prevalent in the community itself. The practical nature of
grassroots comics as a forum for health communication is what is of particular interest in this
study.
Purposive sampling techniques are employed in order to identify key participants and
informants in the research process, to present a case-specific analysis of grassroots comics in
use, and for purposes of limiting this study. Data collection methods applied to the research
setting and research findings are conducted using various qualitative research techniques
including participant observation, interviews, discussions and a participatory grassroots
comics workshop. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ukzn/oai:http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za:10413/9309 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Dicks, Andrew. |
| Contributors | Tomaselli, Keyan G. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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