This article adopts a communication infrastructure model in mapping the flow and meaning of ethnic media in Vancouver and their interaction with local, national, and global conceptions of a public commons. A communication infrastructure consists of a “thick” social network of media and organizations, which create and disseminate everyday conversations and news to any given community. Without the existence of a sustainable communication infrastructure, communities cannot form and function. The intersection of social capacity and media infrastructure, then, becomes an important predictor of potential for democratic deliberation and political engagement. Presenting an empirical study of ethnic media in Vancouver, this article asks how well these outlets provide resources to construct inclusion in an urban setting. A more complex infrastructure was mapped than anticipated, but several blind spots were still found. A set of recommendations is made to expand the politics of inclusion and recognition of shared citizenship and civic engagement.Resumé : Cet article adopte un modèle d’infrastructure communicationnelle pour examiner les flux et sens des médias ethniques à Vancouver ainsi que les interactions de ceux-ci avec des conceptions locales, nationales et mondiales de ce que serait un lieu d’échange public efficace. Une infrastructure communicationnelle se compose d’un réseau social « riche » composé de médias et d’organismes qui créent et diffusent les conversations et nouvelles de la journée à une communauté donnée. Sans l’existence d’une infrastructure communicationnelle durable, les communautés ne peuvent ni se former ni fonctionner. L’intersection entre les capacités sociales et l’infrastructure médiatique devient ainsi une mesure importante du potentiel que possède une communauté de susciter des engagements politiques et des débats démocratiques. Cet article, en présentant une étude empirique des médias ethniques à Vancouver, s’interroge sur l’efficacité de ces derniers à fournir des ressources favorisant l’inclusion en milieu urbain. La recherche a décelé une infrastructure plus complexe que prévue, tout en repérant plusieurs lacunes. L’article effectue des recommandations en vue d’améliorer les politiques d’inclusion et de reconnaissance de la citoyenneté partagée et de l’engagement civique.
No abstract
In January 2007 the small town of Hrouxville in Quebec, Canada, introduced a set of codes of conduct called Normes de vie de la municipalit d'Hrouxville (Standards of Living for Residents of Hrouxville). Despite the proclamation that these rules do not target any particular religion or culture, the language of the document suggests that the Muslim community was being targeted. This article seeks to analyse the context within which dominant discourses on Islam have been developed and carried forward in western societies. I will argue that the standards are a re-articulation of a centuries-long colonial construction of the Muslim Other. They are also symptomatic of a deep-rooted commitment to cultural preservation in Quebec society that (from time to time) lends itself to xenophobic sentiments. The article makes two recommendations on how to start remedying the overwhelmingly negative image of Muslims in Canada and the rest of the western world: (1) a better representation of Muslims in the mainstream media in Canada and other western countries, and (2) a sustainable multicultural communication infrastructure that enables active participation of citizens, including immigrant groups, in the public realm.
This article documents the design, delivery, and evaluation of a first-year experience (FYE) course in media and communication studies. It was decided that CMNS 110: Introduction to Communication Studies would start to include elements to address a perceived and documented sense of disconnectedness among first-year students in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University. These elements included coping, learning, and writing workshops facilitated by various services units across campus. We present results from surveys and focus groups conducted with students at the end of the course and discuss the predicaments that the new realities of an accreditation and audit paradigm—under the cloak of the neoliberal university—produce. On one hand the FYE course may help students transition into a post-secondary institution; on the other hand, too much emphasis on the FYE can result in an instrumental approach to education, jeopardizing the integrity of the course. We offer some insights into the challenges and opportunities of implementing FYE curricula within a large classroom setting.
The process through which immigrants become incorporated into the social fabric of their communities of settlement has been called many things, including acculturation. This lengthy process shapes immigrants' life prospects, but also their social and cultural identity, at both an individual and collective level. Ethnic media—that is, media produced by and for (a) immigrant, (b) ethnic, racial, and linguistic minorities, as well as (c) indigenous populations—play three key functions in the lives of immigrant populations, thereby shaping the acculturation process and the outcomes individuals experience in their everyday lives. Empirical research indicates that ethnic media can facilitate the successful social integration of immigrants in their communities of settlement, but there are three sets of factors that can enable or constrain their ability to play this role.
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