This thesis explores the potential of community video for rural development work in India. It addresses the topic via a process-oriented approach, looking into the individual steps from the creation of a video until its dissemination. Considering it as a form of storytelling, it goes beyond research projects which are finite and only focus on the final product. Storytelling in urban settings has been studied with an emphasis on the individual. Development work however goes beyond the individual, aiming for a broader influence. Thus, community video was studied in the context of developmental organizations which create films along with groups. As far as empowerment as a necessary basis for development is concerned, the study analyzes whether community video fosters or even creates the feeling of empowerment. In order to do justice to both- the medium community video and the storytelling process of it, the aspects of empowerment were examined through narrative analysis of videos and ethnographic field research combined with interviews and discussions. The connections which were discovered between narrative elements and empowerment were discussed with production teams and audiences. These discussions revealed that the communities were well aware of the power of community video and saw it as a tool for increasing knowledge within their own groups. This knowledge encompasses informational content as well as experience-sharing. It came to the fore that especially sharing has an empowering nature. The communities also see it as a mouthpiece to make the world aware of their issues and at the same time show society that they are capable of much more than what stereotypes suggest. The empowering effects of community video go beyond a simple feeling of empowerment and furthermore enable the communities to take action for their own progress. The field observations showed that with the help of organizations, the triggers for empowerment within the individual storytelling stages, from creation to dissemination, can be enhanced. Interviews with the heading organizations indicated that a balance has to be found between teaching techniques and contextual influence. This means that models for effective community video use can be useful but at the same time, the immense creative potential of the communities has be preserved. The very experience of creating something is the core of empowerment in community videos for rural Indian communities.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:su-104617 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Strobel, Michaela |
| Publisher | Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för mediestudier |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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