tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-483512409092076232024-03-12T23:27:04.300-07:00BC Sustainability Education: Communication guideBLOGA guide blog that focuses on providing communication resources for those working to advance sustainability education in British Columbia, CanadaCandace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-69632901579937180612009-10-08T21:39:00.000-07:002009-10-08T21:39:13.801-07:00PlayWriting Competition for the Environment<h2><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">This is a fabulous example of building the sustainability related cultural capital of youth not only in BC but across Canada. </span> <br />
</h2><h2><a href="http://now-org.com/get-involved/act-now-playwriting-competition/">Act NOW! Playwriting Competition</a></h2>Canada’s only national playwriting competition on sustainability run by youth for youth that engages young people across the nation to learn, evaluate, innovate and <strong>act </strong> with a splash of creativity<br />
<h2>2009 – 2010</h2>The 2009-2010 competition is officially announced! Please check out our pamphlet below for a sneak peek, as well as the navigation on the right for competition details.<br />
Check out the 2009-2010 Act NOW! sponsors, partners, and supporters <a href="http://now-org.com/get-involved/act-now-playwriting-competition/">here</a>!Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-50081907643680945282009-10-08T21:09:00.000-07:002009-10-08T21:11:06.092-07:00Transformative Learning: Creating Resilient Communities Through Sustainability Education<div class="content">Originally posted at <a href="http://blogs.bcit.ca/appliedresearch/node/364">http://blogs.bcit.ca/appliedresearch/node/364 </a><br />
<br />
Conference / Workshop <br />
A workshop for students, faculty, staff and administrators focused on building capacity for sustainability education in post secondary institutions across BC.<br />
<br />
This one day workshop will feature inspirational speakers, case studies, and group discussion on topics such as:<br />
- Trends and opportunities in the sustainability education movement <br />
- Professional development tools and approaches for faculty members<br />
- Building relationships with communities to foster critical sustainability research<br />
- Experiential and hands-on learning<br />
- Identifying sustainability learning outcomes<br />
- Measuring success: indicator reporting <br />
<b><br />
Keynote speakers: </b><br />
- Paul Rowland, Executive Director, Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education<br />
- Paul Hawken, Author, Activist and Environmentalist<br />
<br />
REGISTER NOW<br />
This workshop is proudly hosted by<a href="http://www.bcit.ca/"> </a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1255061236854">BCIT</a><a href="http://www.bcit.ca/"> </a>and sponsored by GreenLearning Canada, Go Beyond, the <a href="http://www.walkingthetalk.bc.ca/">Walking the Talk Network</a> and the Province of BC. <a href="https://confreg.uvcs.uvic.ca/?cid=1653">More information</a>--> <a href="https://confreg.uvcs.uvic.ca/?cid=1653" target="_blank">https://confreg.uvcs.uvic.ca/?cid=1653</a> <b> </b><br />
<b>Location:</b> Meeting Room 19, Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre (East), 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC <b> </b><br />
<b>Price:</b> $75.00 per person<br />
</div>Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-63718038047722638972009-10-08T20:44:00.000-07:002009-10-08T20:45:41.795-07:00List of all Recommendations based on the Communications Capital Framework<div style="color: #38761d;"><b>Social Capital Recommendations</b><br />
</div><br />
Four overall recommendations come out of this component of the Communications Capital Framework for this movement.<br />
<br />
First, the movement needs to develop a strong group identity, which current and new members can ascribe to so that solidarity, social norms and trust within the movement can be achieved.<br />
<br />
Second, movement members need to be self and movement reflective so that the movement does not become too insular and exclusionary of potential new members.<br />
<br />
Third, movement members need to become adept at building relationships with others. This means that movement members need to develop skill sets around and capacity for rapport building, negotiation and dialogue, conflict resolution and problem solving within the movement and between movement members and outside parties.<br />
<br />
Finally, movement members should consider consciously developing and utilizing social relationships for the benefit of the movement. Each member has the potential to build the social ties, which could advance the movement and should make an effort to increase these ties. Priority for expanding the social network would be with those in positions of power and influence. Thought leaders, government employees, artists, technicians etc would all contribute valuable assets to the movement.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
6 Specific Recommendations below focus on actions to build social capital but also improve group culture conditions so that outside members feel comfortable creating ties with movement members and contributing to movement goals.<br />
<br />
<br />
1. Each organization should support and participate actively in the development and betterment of the BC Working Group and Network on Sustainability Education as a representative of the movement and central focus of political and symbolic power.<br />
<br />
2. Support and utilize the WalkingtheTalk social networking and information sharing website<br />
<br />
3. Increase the knowledge base within the movement on social capital theory for better utilization of the collective social capital in relation to movement networks and ties.<br />
<br />
4. Include in training and education sessions, information on relationship building, interpersonal communication, dialogue and negotiation skills<br />
<br />
5. Offer as many opportunities for movement members to meet face-face for planning initiatives so that stronger more meaningful relationships are built. This will increase the likelihood that movement members will work together and new members or other citizens not part of the movement can be included, further building potential social ties and the related social capital<br />
<br />
6. Conduct an assessment of the internal culture of the movement and it’s potential barriers to outsiders. Have all members consider carefully the rhetoric and language used to describe the movement and it’s goals and review how this framing of the movement might attract or detract potential new movement members<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #38761d;"><b>Symbolic Capital Recommendations</b><br />
</div><br />
The movement needs to gain control over the symbolism and discourse on sustainability education in BC. In order to do this they need to develop a shared set of symbols and discourse frames, and communicate these symbols and frames in a collective and consistent effort in all avenues for communication. This includes in the dominant and alternative media, through cultural events and products, through public participation and political communication and in person through social networks.<br />
<br />
1. Organize regular dialogues which encourage visioning and future planning and help movement members continue to articulate a shared discourse<br />
<br />
2. Develop a shared definition of the term sustainability and provide this common definition in all communications documents<br />
<br />
3. Follow the recommendations of the 2006 and 2009 Sustainability Poll research done by James Hoggan and Associates on how to communicate about sustainability including using vivid imagery, making sustainability personal and practical, avoiding jargon and remaining hopeful and positive.<br />
<br />
4. Include the “Ten Principles of Sustainability” produced by participants of the “Why Sustainability Education” event in 2007 in all communications documents. This should be the shared definition of sustainability education.<br />
<br />
5. Develop fact sheets and media backgrounders on the “Ten Principles of Sustainability” and the common definition of sustainability created in recommendation #1<br />
<br />
6. Develop and share common communication story frames for each priority audience in BC. Communications professionals working for education organizations and those responsible for developing and implementing communications should work with each other across BC to develop consistent frames to promote. This could be done with a common list-serve or through this blog or other social networking tool.<br />
<br />
7. Collectively compile an annual success stories compendium which represents examples of what the movement sees as sustainability education<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #38761d;"><b>Human Capital Recommendations</b><br />
</div><br />
Due to an overall lack of capital to hire communications and technology experts to specialize in promoting the goals of the movement in BC, it is recommended that the movement build human capital to increase the numbers of movement members skilled in media and information technologies. Where there is skill in this area (usually the youth portion of the movement), there is great work being produced to further the movement. A potential approach then would be for the youth groups to educate the rest of the movement on these technologies and processes. <br />
<br />
1. Arrange for basic media and communication training for movement members (Potentially run as communication and media workshops across BC designed by communications professionals as volunteers) or as online modules.<br />
<br />
2. Arrange for the training of movement members in the development of story frames, press release formats and speaking to the media<br />
<br />
3. Arrange for the training of movement members in website and online media design<br />
<br />
4. Educate members on writing for radio, newspapers and television<br />
<br />
5. Provide training on social networking and online communication such as Facebook, Twitter, Ning and blogging which have become popular sites for public communication and viral marketing<br />
<br />
6. Provide training on the development of podcasts, video production and distribution online. The video from the How Sustainability Education? A Solutions Summit event is a great example of the potential of expertise in this area.<br />
<br />
7. Arrange for training of movement members in design principles and Adobe Creative Suite <br />
<br />
8. Arrange for the training of movement members in basic photography<br />
<br />
9. Arrange for the training of movement members in information technology such as webcasting, video conferencing, online document sharing and telephone conferencing<br />
<br />
10. Partner with SFU Centre for Dialogue to provide training and skill building in dialogue, negotiation and facilitation<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #38761d;"><b>Political Capital Recommendations</b><br />
</div><br />
Literature in environmental communication focuses a great deal on the need for better public participation processes and greater representation and opportunities for citizens to have their voices heard in public forums. The need to address public participation models and for better representation in public forums is also important for the sustainability education movement in BC. In order for the movement to advance it’s goals it must ensure it has respected, articulate and informed voices speaking on the movement’s behalf in public forums and political debates. It also has to encourage and facilitate dialogue and open discussion to increase the opportunities for achieving consensus and support for movement goals.<br />
<br />
<br />
1. Take stock of the forms of social capital that movement members have access to that can be converted into political capital specifically<br />
<br />
2. Prioritize which forms of social capital may need to be developed and which ones can be converted in the near and medium term future. For example the vast network of respected academics in BC could be mobilized to get sustainability education on the agenda for the next federal election. A few individuals in the movement may be the ones with many connections who could build the momentum<br />
<br />
3. Provide training on effective public speaking and utilization of message frames<br />
<br />
4. Track public forums on political issues in BC and inform members of these opportunities to attend and represent the voice/perspective of sustainability education<br />
<br />
3. Connect with and inform those respected and influential individuals who might have access to many of these forums (or the development of them) and communicate the movement’s goals, story frames and connection to other political issues which might be listed as higher on the agenda at the current time.<br />
<br />
4. Develop community forums across BC to connect and communicate with BC citizens. Educating and empowering citizens across BC will likely increase dialogue and a favorable public discourse around sustainability education.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #38761d;"><b>Cultural Capital Recommendations</b><br />
</div><br />
Although cultural capital is usually referred to as an individual asset that is developed by individuals (as is social capital), the collective cultural capital of many individuals within the movement will be influential and will increase the amount of cultural influence and symbolic power held by the movement itself. Educating the movement members and ensuring access to cultural resources might not be a great difficulty for the movement considering it is an education movement. What might be an important focus though is on expanding the forms of culture that movement members have knowledge of and proficiency in. Art and Culture have a significant influence on public discourse. The more opportunities for the development of cultural artifacts which promote sustainability education the better...<br />
<br />
<br />
1. Educate members on contemporary cultural forms and the power of these forms to influence public opinion and discourse (such as advertising, formal education, popular music, fashion, celebrities etc)<br />
<br />
2. Encourage the framing of education as cultural capital in the public discourse which could be one of the ways to increase the relevance and value of sustainability education<br />
<br />
3. Focusing specifically on the cultural capital accrued from an education with a focus on sustainability will also increase the respect this form of education receives (i.e., it is the education of the future, provides skill sets that our new economy requires etc)<br />
<br />
4. Educate and encourage movement members to become proficient in and able to produce art and cultural artifacts such as music, paintings, films, books, magazines, radio shows etc to increase the number of cultural artifacts being produced with the frame of sustainability educationCandace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-73361347613778824242009-10-07T22:22:00.000-07:002009-10-08T19:59:53.185-07:00Building Cultural Capital: Recommendations for the MovementBuild Cultural Capital:<br />
<br />
Although cultural capital is usually referred to as an individual asset that is developed by individuals (as is social capital), the collective cultural capital of many individuals within the movement will be influential and will increase the amount of cultural influence and symbolic power held by the movement itself. Educating the movement members and ensuring access to cultural resources might not be a great difficulty for the movement considering it is an education movement. What might be an important focus though is on expanding the forms of culture that movement members have knowledge of and proficiency in. Art and Culture have a significant influence on public discourse. The more opportunities for the development of cultural artifacts which promote sustainability education the better...<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
1. Educate members on contemporary cultural forms and the power of these forms to influence public opinion and discourse (such as advertising, formal education, popular music, fashion, celebrities etc)<br />
<br />
2. Encourage the framing of education as cultural capital in the public discourse which could be one of the ways to increase the relevance and value of sustainability education<br />
<br />
3. Focusing specifically on the cultural capital accrued from an education with a focus on sustainability will also increase the respect this form of education receives (i.e., it is the education of the future, provides skill sets that our new economy requires etc)<br />
<br />
4. Educate and encourage movement members to become proficient in and able to produce art and cultural artifacts such as music, paintings, films, books, magazines, radio shows etc to increase the number of cultural artifacts being produced with the frame of sustainability educationCandace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-56790063736467281142009-10-07T22:19:00.000-07:002009-10-08T20:26:32.798-07:00Building Human Capital: Recommendations for the MovementBuilding Human Capital for Communication<br />
<br />
Due to an overall lack of capital to hire communications and technology experts to specialize in promoting the goals of the movement in BC, it is recommended that the movement build human capital to increase the numbers of movement members skilled in media and information technologies. Where there is skill in this area (usually the youth portion of the movement), there is great work being produced to further the movement. A potential approach then would be for the youth groups to educate the rest of the movement on these technologies and processes. <br />
<br />
<b>1.</b> Arrange for basic media and communication training for movement members (Potentially run as communication and media workshops across BC designed by communications professionals as volunteers) or as online modules.<br />
<br />
<b>2.</b> Arrange for the training of movement members in the development of story frames, press release formats and speaking to the media<br />
<br />
<b>3.</b> Arrange for the training of movement members in website and online media design<br />
<br />
<b>4.</b> Educate members on writing for radio, newspapers and television<br />
<br />
<b>5.</b> Provide training on social networking and online communication such as Facebook, Twitter, Ning and blogging which have become popular sites for public communication and viral marketing<br />
<br />
<b>6.</b> Provide training on the development of podcasts, video production and distribution online. <a href="http://www.walkingthetalk.bc.ca/bcclimateaction/2009summit">The video from the How Sustainability Education?</a> A Solutions Summit event is a great example of the potential of expertise in this area.<br />
<br />
<b>7.</b> Arrange for training of movement members in design principles and Adobe Creative Suite <br />
<br />
<b>8.</b> Arrange for the training of movement members in basic photography<br />
<br />
<b>9.</b> Arrange for the training of movement members in information technology such as webcasting, video conferencing, online document sharing and telephone conferencing<br />
<br />
<b>10.</b> Partner with SFU Centre for Dialogue to provide training and skill building in dialogue, negotiation and facilitationCandace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-48453855924914127452009-10-07T22:12:00.000-07:002009-10-08T20:19:32.786-07:00Symbolic Capital: Recommendations for the MovementBuild Symbolic Capital:<br />
<br />
Recommendations:<br />
<br />
The movement needs to gain control over the symbolism and discourse on sustainability education in BC. In order to do this they need to develop a shared set of symbols and discourse frames, and communicate these symbols and frames in a collective and consistent effort in all avenues for communication. This includes in the dominant and alternative media, through cultural events and products, through public participation and political communication and in person through social networks.<br />
<br />
1. Organize regular dialogues which encourage visioning and future planning and help movement members continue to articulate a shared discourse<br />
<br />
2. Develop a shared definition of the term sustainability and provide this common definition in all communications documents<br />
<br />
3. Follow the recommendations of the <a href="http://ekoscommunications.com/node/307">2006</a> and 2009 Sustainability Poll research done by James Hoggan and Associates on how to communicate about sustainability including using vivid imagery, making sustainability personal and practical, avoiding jargon and remaining hopeful and positive.<br />
<br />
4. Include the<a href="http://www.walkingthetalk.bc.ca/dialogue_2007"> “Ten Principles of Sustainability”</a> produced by participants of the “Why Sustainability Education” event in 2007 in all communications documents. This should be the shared definition of sustainability education.<br />
<br />
5. Develop fact sheets and media backgrounders on the “Ten Principles of Sustainability” and the common definition of sustainability created in recommendation #1<br />
<br />
6. Develop and share common communication story frames for each priority audience in BC. Communications professionals working for education organizations and those responsible for developing and implementing communications should work with each other across BC to develop consistent frames to promote. This could be done with a common list-serve or through this blog or other social networking tool.<br />
<br />
7. Collectively compile an annual success stories compendium which represents examples of what the movement sees as sustainability educationCandace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-18946782588777309982009-10-07T22:10:00.000-07:002009-10-07T22:11:37.710-07:00Strategic Communication Campaigns: Part 1Strategic communication campaigns go beyond framing an issue and designing an effective message. It involves designing frames and messages for multiple audiences, using multiple tactics and trying to achieve a specific and measurable goal. Below Robert Cox, an experienced campaigner for the Sierra Club explains best practice in advocacy and strategic communication campaigning.<br /><br />Cox makes the point that critical rhetoric and advocacy campaigns are fundamentally different and play different roles in the environmental movement. He explains that “[c]ritical rhetoric can be defined as the questioning or denunciation of a behavior, policy, societal value, or ideology; such rhetoric may also include the articulation of an alternate policy, vision, or ideology…[c]ritical rhetorics frequently serve to expand the range of social choices and visions that are eclipsed in the day-to-day struggles of a campaign…Although campaigns, to, may take sweeping social changes as their ultimate goal, they differ from critical rhetorics in their approach and are organized instead around concrete, strategic actions that move us closer to those goals…[t]he difference between a campaign and critical rhetoric, then, is not simply the concreteness of the objective but the strategic course of action by which a campaign pursues such objectives”(Cox, 2006, p. 248-249).<br /><br />Rogers and Story (1987) identify four features of communication campaigns (from Cox p. 250):<br />1. A campaign is purposeful<br />2. A campaign is aimed at a large audience<br />3. A campaign has a more or less specifically defined time limit<br />4. A campaign involves an organized set of communication activities<br /><br />Specifically, environmental campaigns differ from other public health and issue campaigns in that “Environmental advocacy campaigns…are usually waged by noninstitutional sources-concerned individuals, environmental organizations, or small community action groups [and]…[most environmental advocacy campaigns, on the other hand, seek to change either certain external conditions—for example, the cleanup of an abandoned toxic waste site—or the policy or practice of a governmental or corporate body. And although some environmental campaigns may seek to influence individual behaviors…such attempts are often seen as steps toward systemic change in society’s treatment of the environment…”(Cox, 2006, p. 251).<br /><br />Cox describes the three fundamental questions in an advocacy campaign (Cox, p. 253):<br /><br />1. What exactly do you want to accomplish?<br />2. Which decision makers have the ability to respond, and what constituencies can hold these decision makers accountable?<br />3. What will persuade these decision makers to act on your objectives?Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-53168343388610474292009-10-07T22:04:00.000-07:002009-10-07T22:08:21.394-07:00Dialogue and Public Participation<a href="www.communicationforsocialchange.org/pdf/socialchange.pdf">Communication for Social Change: An Integrated Model for Measuring the Process and Its Outcomes</a> by Maria Elena Figueroa, D. Lawrence Kincaid, Manju Rani and Gary Lewis<br />(link opens a pdf but you can also find the article at <a href="http://www.communicationforsocialchange.org/">www.communicationforsocialchange.org </a><br /><br />Key components of the model (p. ii):<br /><br />• Sustainability of social change is more likely if the individuals and communities most affected own the process and content of communication.<br /><br />• Communication for social change should be empowering, horizontal (versus top-down), give a voice to the previously unheard members of the community, and be biased towards local content and ownership.<br /><br />• Communities should be the agents of their own change<br /><br />• Emphasis should shift from persuasion and the transmission of information from outside technical experts to dialogue, debate and negotiation on issues that resonate with members of the community.<br /><br />• Emphasis on outcomes should go beyond individual behavior to social norms, policies, culture and the supporting environment.<br /><br />Their approach is supported in the literature on environmental communication. One major theme in the literature on environmental communication is the importance of engaging people in a dialogue about solutions to environmental problems.<br /><br />Kathleen Regan points out that “[d]ialogue is genuinely creative and generative act. Successful dialogue is sometimes simply a willingness to meet again to continue talking, but once people begin to speak honestly about their concerns, and about their own uncertainties with regard to their deeply held positions, ideas for next steps emerge that could not have been imagined before the dialogue. Success can also be a decision to take an action that was previously not imagined or thought possible”(Moser & Dilling, 2007, p. 213).<br /><br /> One of the difficulties associated with framing and message design is the process of learning about people’s cognitive frames or mental models, then having to redesign the messages and sit back and hope that the frame fits and the message hits. With dialogue and public engagement, this can be done all at once. The process can be interactive and democratic. The top down communication model can be discarded for one that is inclusive and creative.<br /><br />Regan tells us that “[o]ne hallmark of dialogue that distinguishes it from other kinds of talk is its ability to identify an “old conversation” that can act as a discursive trap and its techniques for providing opportunities for participants to step out of that conversation and into a new one…[i]n the context of climate change, the “old conversation” appears to be dominated and carried out within the frame of scientific knowledge, certainty and uncertainty, and predictions of the future…[b]roadening the conversation beyond science and trusting the dialogue process enough for scientists to share the conversation with non-scientists is a key ingredient to creating a “new conversation” on climate change”(Moser & Dilling, 2007, p. 215-216).<br /><br />Cox and Regan point to the need for a new approach to dialogue and public engagement that makes for more constructive results than have been seen up until now. Cox asks the question “[a]re public hearings sometimes divisive or unproductive because of the way the public acts, or is there something wrong with the process itself?...formal mechanisms for public participation too often are simply ritualistic processes that give members of the public little opportunity to influence decisions. It’s not a surprise, then, that ordinary citizens so often experience ‘frustration, disillusionment, skepticism, and anger’ (Senecah, 2004, p. 18)”(Cox, 2006, p.128).Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-73916902959940816862009-10-07T21:58:00.000-07:002009-10-07T22:00:45.451-07:00Human Capital for CommunicationHuman Capital<br /><br />The focus on human capital in the Communication Capital Framework is on the set of skills and knowledge that may in some cases be institutionalized and fit under the institutionalized state of cultural capital as outlined by Bourdieu but for this movement may not be. Human capital in this framework is the focus on increasing the numbers of people and organizations within the movement who have a solid set of technical, strategic and community empowerment communication skills. <br /><br />Media & Design<br />Media capital in this framework represents the capacity of movement members to gain access to the dominant media and develop alternative media of their own. Access to and knowledge of the available tools and resources for media production and public relations efforts can make the difference between having movement voices heard, ignored or disregarded.<br /><br />Information Technology<br />Information technology capital in this framework represents the capacity of movement members to effectively utilize the new information technologies available. Basic awareness of social networking media, video and web conferencing tools, blogging and online document sharing is not enough. Building information technology capital would mean that movement members feel highly competent in the use of these technologies and processes and can utilize them freely for movement communication.<br /><br />Dialogue and Negotiation<br />The ability to negotiate and engage in dialogue is a skill that movement members need formal training in and experience with.Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-44945275323684039492009-10-07T21:56:00.001-07:002009-10-07T21:58:21.840-07:00Cultural Capital for CommunicationCultural capital in the Communication Capital Framework represents the capacity of movement members to understand and leverage the three states of culture capital as described by Pierre Bourdieu.<br /><br />These three states are the embodied state, the objectified state and the institutionalized state.<br /><br />“The accumulation of cultural capital in the embodied state, i.e.., in the form of what is called culture, cultivation, Bildung, presupposes the process of em-bodiment, incorporation, which insofar as it implies a labor of inculcation and assimilation, costs time, time which must be invested personally by the investor” (2002, p. 244). For example this would consist for this movement as the ability to speak a language of one or more of the immigrant groups in BC.<br /><br />Bourdieu describes the objectified state of cultural capital as “…material objects and media such as writing, paintings, monuments, instruments, etc” (2002, p.246), which are materially transmissible. Movement members should actively be cultivating these material objects to increase the number and value of these objects and in relation the value of the subject they described or portrayed (i.e., the movements goals and values). Specifically movement members should contribute actively to the arts through photography, graphic arts, music, performance and film.<br /><br />The institutionalized state of cultural capital is that which can be formalized, standardized and certified such as all forms of accreditation in the education system. This form of cultural capital would be most familiar to most movement members. A focus on the development of sustainability education programs, courses and content is of course part of the goal of the movement itself. What the focus in this area should be is on the promotion of these new programs, courses and content as a valuable asset to the BC education system that can be converted into real economic benefits for the province.<br /><br />There are many levels of culture that the sustainability education movement is embedded within. Having the capacity to understand how each level of culture impedes or advances the movement is of utmost importance. Communicating effectively to advance the movement must take into consideration such things as the dominant values, perceptions and beliefs of the mainstream public, sub-culture beliefs such as in religious or counter-culture groups and the shared language and experiences of each culture with which the movement is attempting to communicate.Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-91197759573022385112009-10-07T21:54:00.000-07:002009-10-07T21:55:49.505-07:00Visual Rhetoric & Affective Images: Part 2Pictures can be very effective communication tools. Choosing the right pictures for the right message is very important. Corbett, Cox and the McAllister research confirms that testing images in advance of using them for communication materials is the best approach. The McAllister poll also found that some pictures could speak for whole concepts and problems. Especially for a concept as complex as climate change, images (both pictures and their associated captions) can help explain concepts to people quickly and effectively. This approach may help provide the public with the mental shortcuts, metaphors and level one frames that the FrameWorks researchers recommend.<br /><br />As mentioned above and in the previous post, affective imagery goes beyond the use of photographs. Using affective imagery in many cases means speaking in a language that the general public can understand. Using metaphors and descriptors that paint a particular “picture” that will make sense to the particular audience at a particular time. Using terms and everyday experiences people understand are important. For example discussion of elimination of traffic congestion and commute time make more sense to the everyday person than does complex ideas like “less urban sprawl”.<br /><br />The lesson here, which is mentioned in frequently in the research, is that the end result of the actions requested, must be communicated in a way that connects with the person’s beliefs, values and day to day concerns. In essence, creating affective imagery that connects with the level one frame or big ideas that most people already subscribe to.<br /><br />Additionally, It is important to present information that is vivid “…[vivid] information increases the likelihood that a message will be attended to initially, a process called encoding, as well as recalled later”(McKenzie-Mohr & Smith, 1999). So the information has to communicate in language that is understood by the audience but it also has to be vivid and captivating in order to encode the information in the audience’s brain.<br /><br />Following this, the message has to be specific. “Messages that describe actions to be taken in clear, straightforward steps are more likely to be understood and followed”(McKenzie-Mohr & Smith, 1999). It also has to be easy to remember “All actions that support sustainability require reliance upon memory. Some activities, such as recycling, make substantial demands on memory. In asking people to recycle, we are requiring them to remember how to recycle (commingled versus separated, whether items have to be washed, etc.)”(McKenzie-Mohr & Smith, 1999).<br /><br />Finally, feedback for people participating in a new requested behavior is absolutely important so that they can see that their actions are having a measurable impact. The more vividly this can be done with picture graphs, images, and statistics, the better(McKenzie-Mohr & Smith, 1999).<br />Personal relevance is also an important aspect of the communication message. One finding associated with this was that the health impacts of climate change seem to be all but absent from climate change communications. Although health impacts are expected to pose the greatest risks to humans from climate change they are missing from most communications. Focusing on the local health implications could bring the message home to a lot more people. While the image of rising sea levels may seem dramatic. For people living above the tide line the health effects that their children will face will be much more effective.Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-47225867823348229702009-10-07T21:53:00.000-07:002009-10-07T21:54:09.737-07:00Visual Rhetoric & Affective Images: Part 1While the research so far has taught, what not to do in framing and message design there are also some great recommendations for what should be done. One of these recommendations is the use of images and as discussed above metaphor, analogy and concrete description. “Research attention has recently focused on the role of affective imagery in risk perception.<br /><br />Affect refers to the specific quality of “goodness” or “badness” experienced as a feeling state (with or without conscious awareness) or the positive or negative quality of a stimulus. Imagery refers to all forms of mental representation or cognitive content. ‘Images’ include both perceptual representations (pictures, sounds, smells) and symbolic representations (words, numbers, symbols)…In this sense, “image” refers to more than just visually based mental representations. Affective images thus include ‘sights, sounds, smells, ideas, and words, to which positive and negative affect or feeling states have become attached through learning and experience’”(Moser & Dilling, 2007, p. 46).<br /><br />When surveyed, researchers found that people were more concerned about the effects of climate change on far away people and places. The researchers concluded that people had high concern regarding climate change but action did not take place as a result of their concern. The conclusion was that the most dominant and common images of global warming were melting polar icecaps and non-human nature suffering and that these commonly used images had no affect on people’s feelings of urgency to act on their own behalf. People cared about the far away people and places but this negative feeling state was not strong enough to encourage action. What are needed are climate change images that are vivid, concrete, and personally relevant. As the McAllister Opinion Poll research found “…the goal of any serious communications campaign is to deliver ‘mental imagery’ that activates audience emotions and drives home a message” (McAllister Opinion Research, 2006, p. 6).<br /><br />Two of the top findings from the McAllister Opinion Poll were that<br /><br />1. Images help to communicate the meaning of sustainability better than the word. While over eight in ten Canadians are baffled by the word sustainability, nine in ten get the concept if presented with pictures<br /><br />2. The use of images is also key to communicating issues related to complex concepts like urban sprawl and global warming. (McAllister Opinion Research, 2006 ,p.13).<br /><br />These findings about visual images were consistent through the research. “Photographs may be powerful, rhetorical statements and, as DeLuca and Demo (2000) argued, they can constitute a context for understanding and judgment. Especially when accompanied by captions that encourage a particular meaning, photos can embody a range of symbolic resources that sustain or challenge prevailing viewpoints…‘[s]ometimes pictures have a chance to change history by creating a larger understanding of a subject, thus enlightening the public and bringing greater awareness to an issue’…”(Cox, 2006, p. 65).<br /><br />Photographs and visuals can be so powerful that in some cases they have been banned from public display. Cox uses Subhankar Banerjee’s scenes of Alaskan wildlife and the controversy his collection created at the Smithsonian as a good example of this in the United States. Cox explains that this controversial collection of photographs depicting the wildlife and landscape of an area of Alaska that was slated for oil exploration and drilling was pulled from the Smithsonian exhibit after charges that his photographs were too political. His photos show the effects of oil and gas drilling on the wildlife of the area. His work has now garnered international attention including an award from the United Nations Environment Programme. The photographs and captions can be viewed at this website <a href="http://www.subhankarbanerjee.org/">http://www.subhankarbanerjee.org/</a>.Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-11505058472885013892009-10-07T21:50:00.000-07:002009-10-07T21:52:01.207-07:00The Difficulty in Framing and Designing Messages about Climate Change & Sustainability: Part 2What the FrameWorks researchers found was that climate change tends to be framed as either scary weather or as an economic issue. Both of these topics leave room for lay theorizing but not in a way that has been productive or helpful. They say that if climate change is framed as weather, people see it as natural. They recognize that it has consequences but do not see human actions as the solution.<br /><br />Most importantly they say that it triggers an adaptive response. So for example, when people hear about scary weather they protect themselves with a solid SUV or move a block from the beach to prepare for the beachfront property they will one day have. Another result is that “[c]urrent weather is treated as evidence for or against global climate change, with anecdotes more common than not”(Moser & Dilling, 2007, p. 35).<br /><br />So a particularly cold winter will serve as proof that global warming is not happening and a particularly rough storm will prove the opposite. So whether a person believes global warming is happening or not, the connection to weather does not assist in understanding the problem or lead to appropriate action. When framed as an economic issue, people tend to see climate change as a necessary bi-product of industrialism and it becomes a self-interest issue. Environmentalists in this frame are seen as aesthetics that want us to give up the most practical of conveniences (e.g., air conditioning is the example given). Given the bridging metaphor or “object to play with” and the public come to conclusions that lead to the opposite responses that environmentalists were intending.<br /><br />To explain this Bostrom and Lashof say that individuals develop mental models of causes, effects and mitigation. They use the example of attributing chest pain to heart burn and treating it with heartburn medication. They say that many times the heartburn mental model and its associated treatment leads to mistreatment of heart attacks. The same can be true for climate change. If people are using mental models constructed to understand weather to understand climate change then the solution that they will imagine is appropriate, will not be the one that alleviates the problem. If a person equates climate change with natural cycles in weather the solution is to wait out the bad weather and make short-term or long-term adaptations.<br /><br />Therefore we need to create appropriate bridging metaphors and mental models that suggest the right causes, triggers, and desirable remedial action. An important step in this process are the use of appropriate metaphor and analogy. Bostrom and Lashof support the claim by Rappaport and Hammond Creighton, that not only is weather an inappropriate symptom of climate change but the metaphor of the “greenhouse effect” is also not working for the average individual. After long time use of this metaphor it is still not producing the desired effect. People still do not understand it. All of the above authors claim that using a more appropriate metaphor such as “a thickening blanket of carbon dioxide” that “traps heat” in the atmosphere, improves understanding markedly (Rappaport & Hammond Creighton, 2007).<br /><br />Frameworks researchers call for a personal action communication They explain that Americans (and probably Canadians would be at the same level) already believe global warming is happening and they understand that there are negative consequences. What is needed now is to move on from the convincing stage of communication and move on to action-oriented messages that move the conversation onto “what is to be done.” They recommend getting away from the “chicken little” approach (apocalyptic narrative) and move onto a “little engine that could” model.<br /><br />Their research shows that people need to know more about the solutions. Getting away from metaphors of weather and moving to discussion that better reflects reality. Since this is a human made problem; a human made solution is the answer. They provide the following specific recommendations for communicators in order to do this:<br /><br />1) Attach the message to responsibility and planning (level one framing)<br />2) Bring global warming down to earth-make it manageable<br />3) Give the public a simplifying model of global warming<br />4) Use reasonable not rhetorical tone to engage listening<br />5) Give solutions a high priority<br />6) Use messengers associated with suggested frames<br />7) Be strategic in the order of presentation of messages (start with level one framing) (FrameWorks Institute, 2007)Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-59940147399798394702009-10-07T21:47:00.000-07:002009-10-07T21:50:09.384-07:00The Difficulty in Framing and Designing Messages about Climate Change & Sustainability: Part 1As Moser and Dilling in "Creating a Climate for Change" (2007) point out, climate change specifically has many characteristics that make it difficult to understand and communicate. This seems also true for the concept of sustainability.<br /><br />They explain that “…the inherent natural characteristics and deep societal roots of climate change stack the deck against the issue being recognized as an urgent and actionable problem.”(Moser & Dilling, 2007, p. 8).<br /><br />Moser and Dilling discuss some of the most common barriers to effectively communicating about climate change:<br /><br />1. Uncertain science as a political battlefield<br />2. Media practices and trends (e.g., the need for media balance and “objectivity”)<br />3. Inappropriate frames or mental models<br />4. Cultural barriers<br />5. Alarmism and other ineffective ways to create urgency<br /><br />Ungar in Moser and Dilling, like other researchers in this field, point to the need for bridging metaphors to help the public understand the abstract and complex science of climate change and other environmental issues in a language and context that they can understand. Ungar says that the “…key to favorable bridging metaphors is to provide the resources for lay theorizing. If a popular culture template affords an appropriable theory, an ‘object to think with’ or that can be ‘played with’—as in Freudian analysis of dreams—it has the capacity to go beyond the scientific domain and to capture the imagination of the public at large….[t]his is underscored by evidence indicating that people learn more from other individuals than from any other source of information…it is conversational presence, encompassing things like talk radio and informal talk related to mundane practices, rather than media coverage per se, that can put an issue in the air and let it acquire a life of it (sic) own”(Moser & Dilling, 2007, p. 83).Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-25237646275904156522009-10-07T21:43:00.000-07:002009-10-07T21:46:22.208-07:00Message FramingFraming a message can bring it within the boundaries of symbolic legitimacy or attempt to further an insurgent discourse.<br /><br />As Cox explains “[t]he term frame was first popularized by Erving Goffman in his book Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experience (1974). Goffman defined frames as the cognitive maps or patterns of interpretation that people use to organize their understanding of reality…By providing this coherence, media frames help people cope with new or problematic experiences, relating them to familiar ideas and assumptions about the way the world works…opposing stakeholders try to gain public support for their positions, often ‘not by offering new facts or by changing evaluations of the facts, but by altering the frames or interpretive dimensions for evaluating the facts’ (Miller and Riechert (2000, p.45 emphasis added)”(Cox, 2006, p. 178)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.frameworksinstitute.org/">The FrameWorks Institute</a> conducted extensive research on the subject for the Climate Message Project. They explain the central concepts of framing:<br /><br />1) People use mental short-cuts to make sense of the world--frames allow us to instantly assign meaning to events<br /><br />2) Understanding is frame-based rather than fact based-we need a conceptual framework to process information. Once we have this we can integrate the facts into this framework and not before<br /><br />3) Incoming information provides cues that connect to the pictures in our heads-we make a mental match between the stories we know and the new story<br /><br />4) People get most information about public affairs through news media which eventually creates a framework of expectation or dominant frame<br /><br />5) Frames connect us to different levels of thinking<br /><br />They explain that every frame defines the issue, explains who is responsible and suggests potential solutions and that all of these are conveyed by images, stereotypes and anecdotes. Of particular importance are the three levels of thinking. Frames work at these three levels:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">1) Level 1:</span> Is the level of big ideas, like freedom, fairness, community, responsibility and choice<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">2) Level 2:</span> Is the level of issue types, like civil rights, education or the environment<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">3) Level 3:</span> Is the level of specific issues like rainforests or school readiness (FrameWorks Institute, 2007)Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-45322846911712243282009-10-07T21:39:00.000-07:002009-10-07T21:42:59.162-07:00Dominant and Insurgent Discourses: Part 3Insurgent discourses question the taken for granted assumptions we have in society and offer alternatives to the dominant discourse and related ideologies. An insurgent discourse attempts to steal symbolic power from the dominant discourse. “Some point to an insurgent discourse emerging in popularity after Earth Day, 1970, called the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP). The NEP emphasizes beliefs and values such as ‘the inevitability of ‘limits to growth,’…the importance of preserving the ‘balance of nature,’ and the need to reject the anthropocentric notion that nature exists solely for human use’” (Cox, 2006, p.59).<br /><br />Within the NEP are examples of an apocalyptic narrative that is discussed by Cox. Paul Ehrlich’s (1968) The Population Bomb, Rachel Carson’s (1962) Silent Spring, and Murray Bookchin’s (1990) Remaking Society: Pathways to a Green Future, are all listed as radical narratives that have emerged as part of this paradigm. As I will discuss below in the discussion of message design, this form of narrative has had mixed results and in many cases has thwarted action and adoption of the NEP.<br /><br />The reason for a focus on dominant and insurgent discourses is that discourse has real world implications. “As dominant discourses coalesce around specific policies and institutions, they form symbolic legitimacy boundaries that help to legitimate these policies. These symbolic legitimacy boundaries serve to safeguard specific policies and practices, and the authority of certain groups and institutions…[i]n an important sense, the function of …[environmental] communication is to help establish—or challenge—the legitimacy of actions affecting the environment. Legitimacy is generally defined as the right to exercise authority. Yet such a right is not granted naturally. Instead, recognition of legitimacy depends upon a specifically rhetorical process…One of the most rhetorically powerful claims to legitimacy in American political culture is that something is just common sense.”(Cox, 2006, p. 59-60)<br /><br />One can frame people, ideas or policies as inside the boundaries of symbolic legitimacy (e.g., the scientific community is in consensus on this) or you can frame people, ideas or policies as outside the boundaries of symbolic legitimacy (e.g., environmentalists are wackos, alarmists and emotional uninformed citizens). “Symbolic legitimacy refers to the perceived correctness, authority, or common sense of a policy or an approach to a problem relative to other competing responses”(Cox, 2006, p. 333).<br /><br />So a market approach for example, under the current boundaries of symbolic legitimacy would be seen as the sensible approach to many environmental problems. Market mechanisms such as carbon taxes or rebates on energy efficiency products are more often than not put forward as the most appropriate solutions. The role then of environmental communicators is to expose our dominant discourses for what they are and initiate a conversation that helps us as a society create discourses that will help us solve our environmental crisis.Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-82869380452487203562009-10-07T21:37:00.000-07:002009-10-07T21:38:59.590-07:00Dominant and Insurgent Discourses: Part 2Julia Corbett discusses the tendency for us to have an anthropocentric viewpoint, which is reflected in dominant discourse. She tells us that communication for the environment can play a role in developing a more eco-centric viewpoint in our society and contribute to a new insurgent discourse that supports environmental goals. She provides us with a spectrum of environmental ideologies that are expressed as discourse currently. <br /><br />1. Unrestrained instrumentalism-the natural world and all of it’s resources exist solely for human use<br /><br />2. Conservationism-Wise use and greatest use for the greatest number of people<br /><br />3. Preservationism-Conserving resources for humans to use and enjoy for other reasons (religious, aesthetic etc)<br /><br />4. Ethics and values-driven ideologies-non-human entities have intrinsic value. Humans are part of a biotic community. Reformist rather than radical.<br /><br />5. Transformative ideologies-deeper questioning of the roots of ecological crisis. Deep ecology focus, ecofeminism, native and eastern religious traditions. Recognizes the role power and dominance play in the problem. (p. 28). Believe in a radical restructuring of society.<br /><br />As we can see from the above spectrum, it is clear that not all people are coming from the same place and that there is not one environmental insurgent discourse many on a wide spectrum of radicalism. A lot of the research on audiences and reception of messages focuses on which audiences have which entrenched ideologies and which messages can reach each of these audiences effectively.<br /><br />For example, an article in the Tyee online newspaper in 2006, encouraged environmentalists to stop talking about saving the whales and other furry creatures and move closer to a discussion about humans and the impact on humans of the environmental crisis. The author recommended this because he believed that most of the people that needed to be convinced to change their beliefs and behaviors fit under ideologies #1 and #2 <a href="http://thetyee.ca/Citizentoolkit/2006/04/25/WantPowerGetIt/">http://thetyee.ca/Citizentoolkit/2006/04/25/WantPowerGetIt/ </a>Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-33132508309546173082009-10-07T21:35:00.000-07:002009-10-07T21:36:49.901-07:00Dominant and Insurgent Discourses: Part 1What is produced by a critical rhetoric is a new set of discourses that replace previous ones that used to seem natural or common sense. Cox explains that “…a discourse is an overall pattern of speaking, writing, or other symbolic action that results from multiple sources. It functions to ‘circulate a coherent set of meanings about an important topic’ (Fiske 1987, p. 14). Such meanings often influence our understanding of how the world works or should work…[w]hen a discourse gains a broad or taken-for-granted status in a culture (for example, ‘growth is good for the economy”) or when its meanings help to legitimize certain policies or practices, it can be said to be a dominant discourse. Often these discourses are invisible, in the sense that they express naturalized or taken-for-granted assumptions and values about how the world is or should be organized” (Cox, 2006, p. 58)<br /><br />Cox discusses the Dominant Social Paradigm which “affirms society’s ‘belief in abundance and progress, our devotion to growth and prosperity, our faith in science and technology, and our commitment to a laissez-faire economy, limited governance planning and private property rights…”(Cox, 2006, p.58). This paradigm encompasses most dominant discourse in our society. Anything that challenges these beliefs falls into the category of an insurgent discourse.Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-21072299119033761062009-10-07T21:33:00.000-07:002009-10-07T21:34:49.565-07:00RhetoricOnce the world around you is ‘made strange’ and the taken for granted symbolism is exposed, it is possible to develop a new vision, or frame of reference to view societal practices. Once one starts communicating this new vision one might be move into the delivery of rhetoric.<br /><br />“…Aristotle…defined rhetoric as ‘the faculty [power] of discovering in the particular case what are the available means of persuasion’… A rhetorical perspective focuses on purposeful and consequential efforts to influence society’s attitudes and ways of behaving, through communication, which includes public debate, protests, news stories, advertising, and other modes of symbolic action (Campbell & Huxman, 2003)”(Cox, 2006, p.53). <br /><br />This form of rhetoric is critical, questioning the common sense or evident structures, symbols and relationships between social phenomena. It is the actors efforts at taking symbolic power from the current power holders and transferring with the use of effective persuasion.<br /><br />In the study of critical rhetoric, Cox claims that the source of a new critical rhetoric is an antagonism. In the recognition of the limits of an idea, ideology or worldview an opposing idea can begin to develop and flourish. Alternative voices and viewpoints begin to grow in the cracks where the old beliefs or ideas fall short of explaining social or natural phenomena. Cox recognizes four historical antagonisms that have led to current critical rhetoric in the area of environment and society (p.40):<br /><br />• Preservation and conservation of nature versus exploitation of it<br /><br />• Human health versus business and manufacturing activity<br /><br />• Environmental justice versus a vision of nature as a place apart from the places where people live, work, learn and play<br /><br />• Protection of the global commons and communities versus economic globalization<br /><br />Studying the effectiveness of the modes of persuasion (protests, advocacy campaigns, online debates etc) is an entire field of study on it’s own. The approaches that environmentalists have used since the 1970s have garnered a great deal of debate. In particular, the use of radical tactics has generated both criticism and complements. The approach is important though, as much as the messenger. This is where Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic capital as credit is most helpful. The person with a great deal of symbolic capital is much more likely to gain audience and acceptance of his or her ideas. It is also important to recognize here that it is not enough to question the norms, a new theory that can replace the old one is of utmost importance.Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-79082358129549344322009-10-07T21:30:00.000-07:002009-10-07T21:32:41.697-07:00Making the World StrangeMaking the world strange<br /><br />One of the major roles of sustainability communication is in the naming of the problem and in the identification of ways of thinking that is counterproductive to solving the problem. How we perceive and think about the environment leads us to different treatment of it. Much of the literature on environmental communication points to the historical roots of our relationship with the environment.<br /><br />Being aware of the embedded nature of dominance, paternalism, and reductionism in science in our current societal values, and common sense ideas of the world, is important for making changes to harmful practices that are the result of these embedded historical structures. A good first step is to question everything. Recognizing the current dominant paradigm in our symbolism, discourse and rhetoric is the essential first step to designing frames and messages that can form a new sustainability paradigm.<br /><br />Julia B. Corbett in her book titled "Communicating Nature: How We Create and Understand Environmental Messages" points out that almost everything in our society communicates. A particularly good example is the cut green lawn. The suburban lawn is a symbol for human control over nature. This important concept of managed nature is symbolism repeated over and over in the way we design our cities, organize our homes and speak to each other about our relationship to nature.Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-29910561656426290832009-10-07T21:27:00.000-07:002009-10-07T21:29:47.019-07:00Symbolic Capital Part 3Bourdieu also asserts that one cannot gain symbolic power without already having built symbolic capital. Symbolic capital is what an individual can cash in for symbolic power. The ability to legitimately name and classify the social world cannot be done with any effectiveness by one who has not built up symbolic capital in previous battles. In other words not just anyone can exercise legitimate naming power. He tells us that<br /><br />“To change the world, one has to change the ways of world-making, that is, the vision of the world and the practical operations by which groups are produced and reproduced. Symbolic power, whose form par excellence is the power to make groups (groups that are already established and have to be consecrated or groups that have yet to be constituted such as the Marxian proletariat), rests on two conditions. Firstly, as any form of performative discourse, symbolic power has to be based on the possession of symbolic capital. The power to impose on other minds a vision, old or new, of social divisions depends on the social authority acquired in previous struggles. Symbolic capital is a credit; it is the power granted to those who have obtained sufficient recognition to be in a position to impose recognition…Secondly, symbolic efficacy depends on the degree to which the vision proposed is founded in reality…The ‘theory effect’ is all the more powerful the more adequate the theory is. Symbolic power is the power to make things with word…In this sense, symbolic power is a power of consecration or revelation, the power to consecrate or to reveal things that are already there” (Bourdieu 1989, p. 23).<br /><br />One builds symbolic power through the legitimating systems controlled by the state, which can grant credentials that allow individuals to exercise symbolic power.<br /><br />“A credential such as a school diploma is a piece of universally recognized and guaranteed symbolic capital, good on all markets. As an official definition of an official identity, it frees its holder from the symbolic struggle of all against all by imposing the universally approved perspective…The legal consecration of symbolic capital confers upon a perspective an absolute, universal value, thus snatching it from a relativity that is by definition inherent in every point of view, as a view taken from a particular point in social space”” (Bourdieu, 1989, p. 21-22)<br /><br />The sustainability education movement has a great deal of symbolic capital legitimized by the current social structures and ‘common-sense’ construction of our social reality. Recognizing the immense amount of symbolic capital held by this movement is the first step in the mobilization of symbolic power for the re-visioning of our social world. It is not only within our power to reconstruct the common-sense view of the world and the social structures that support it, the movement is particularly well placed with a large stock of symbolic capital to carry out this work. The collective symbolic capital of the sustainability education movement in BC mobilized for a common cause would go a long way towards developing a vision of an education system that contributed to a more just, economically stable and environmentally healthy society.<br /><br />“In fact, there are always, in any society, conflicts between symbolic powers that aim at imposing the vision of legitimate divisions, that is, at constructing groups. Symbolic power, in this sense, is a power of ‘world-making.’ ‘World-making’ consists, according to Nelson Goodman (1978), ‘in separating and reuniting, often in the same operation,’ in carrying out a decomposition, an analysis, and a composition, a synthesis, often by the use of labels” (Boudieu 1989, p. 22).<br /><br />One of the most important assets for this movement to build upon and utilize for movement gain is that of symbolic capital and the symbolic power that can be accessed through this. The following section discusses some key concepts in sustainability communication that I believe falls under the concept of symbolic power.Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-21966855574293065732009-10-07T21:26:00.000-07:002009-10-07T21:27:43.024-07:00Symbolic Capital Part 2Bourdieu discusses what “…appears to be a universal property of human experience, namely, the fact that the familiar world tends to be ‘taken for granted,’ perceived as natural. If the social world tends to be perceived as evident….this is because the dispositions of agents, their habitus, that is, the mental structures through which they apprehend the social world, are essentially the product of internalization of the structures of that world” (Bourdieu 1989, p.18).<br /><br />As mentioned in the previous paragraph the movement needs to make the current symbolic representation of reality ‘strange’. Specifically, it needs to redesign the theory of the ‘good life’, ‘progress’, ‘success’ and the purpose of human societies and most important the education system in human societies. It needs to question and deconstruct and then reconstruct how education fits into this new world vision, what it means to get a good education, what productive knowledge is and how symbolic capital is produced. The movement also needs to reclassify the symbolic representations of nature, consumption, economy, industry, and social equity relations.<br /><br />Bourdieu describes how symbolic struggles such as this develop. He says that these struggles are a negotiation of personal and group identity as well as the negotiation of descriptions and explanations for social phenomena and social structures and who has the power to define and describe. He tells us that<br /><br />“Symbolic struggles over the perception of the social world may take two different forms. On the objective side, one may act by actions of representation, individual or collective, meant to display and to throw into relief certain realities: I am thinking for instance of demonstrations whose goal is to exhibit a group, it’s size, it’s strength, it’s cohesiveness to make it exist visibly…On the subjective side, one may act by trying to transform categories of perception and appreciation of the social world, the cognitive and evaluative structures through which it is constructed. The categories of perception, the schemata of classification, that is, essentially, the words, the names which construct social reality as much as they express it, are the stake par excellence of political struggle, which is a struggle to impose the legitimate principle of vision and division, i.e., a struggle over the legitimate exercise of what I call the ‘theory effect.’” (Bourdieu 1989, p. 20-21).Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-11098669907709336152009-10-07T21:25:00.000-07:002009-10-07T21:26:29.590-07:00Symbolic Capital Part 1<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Symbolic Capital & Symbolic Power</span>-Part 1<br /><br />Symbolic capital in this framework represents the capacity of movement members to exercise symbolic power and legitimately deconstruct and reconstruct a vision of social reality, which better aligns with the movement’s goals and values. This includes understanding the complexity of the public discourse surrounding the movement values and having the capacity to intercede in this discourse to ensure that movement voices and central principles are heard over the din. This also includes the capacity of the movement to develop a common language, set of symbols and shared frames of reference for communicating about the movement and it’s goals. The development of a strong theory that appropriately describes the world in a way that is compatible with movement values is of utmost importance.<br /><br />Pierre Bourdieu asserts that symbolic power is the power to name, classify and group social and objective reality. If a group has symbolic power and therefore can name and classify social phenomena, it also has the power to decide what the natural and common sense actions of that thing or group is. Symbolic power then, is the power to legitimately reclassify the social world. Therefore the movement needs to focus on entering the symbolic struggle by reconstructing the classifications and groupings that render the objective structures of society in a particularly natural or evident way (1989) which hinder the progress towards a sustainable society. The movement needs to ‘make the world strange’ in the eyes of the voting public in BC and present a vision of a world that both makes better sense and directs action towards the realization of this vision.Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-12468730561785545852009-10-07T20:58:00.000-07:002009-10-08T20:32:37.102-07:00Building Political Capital: Recommendations for the MovementBuild Political/Representational Capital:<br />
<br />
Recommendations:<br />
<br />
Literature in environmental communication focuses a great deal on the need for better public participation processes and greater representation and opportunities for citizens to have their voices heard in public forums. The need to address public participation models and for better representation in public forums is also important for the sustainability education movement in BC. In order for the movement to advance it’s goals it must ensure it has respected, articulate and informed voices speaking on the movement’s behalf in public forums and political debates. It also has to encourage and facilitate dialogue and open discussion to increase the opportunities for achieving consensus and support for movement goals.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">1.</span> Take stock of the forms of social capital that movement members have access to that can be converted into political capital specifically<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">2.</span> Prioritize which forms of social capital may need to be developed and which ones can be converted in the near and medium term future. For example the vast network of respected academics in BC could be mobilized to get sustainability education on the agenda for the next federal election. A few individuals in the movement may be the ones with many connections who could build the momentum<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">3.</span> Provide training on effective public speaking and utilization of message frames<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">4.</span> Track public forums on political issues in BC and inform members of these opportunities to attend and represent the voice/perspective of sustainability education<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">3.</span> Connect with and inform those respected and influential individuals who might have access to many of these forums (or the development of them) and communicate the movement’s goals, story frames and connection to other political issues which might be listed as higher on the agenda at the current time.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">4.</span> Develop community forums across BC to connect and communicate with BC citizens. Educating and empowering citizens across BC will likely increase dialogue and a favorable public discourse around sustainability education.Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48351240909207623.post-40948163228095789112009-10-07T20:54:00.000-07:002009-10-07T20:57:41.250-07:00Converting social capital into political capitalBriner and Wittmer (see previous post on "Political Capital for Communication) list the following transformations of social capital into political capital as viewed in practice in case studies from the Thailand forest conservation reform movement:<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Electoral leverage</span> “Actors such as NGOs and POs, which dispose of a high level of social capital in form of organizations and networks, can try to convert it into instrumental political capital in form of electoral leverage” (nd, p. 13)<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Direct participation in the legislative process</span> “The social capital of the supporters of the People’s draft allowed them to make sure of this possibility and collect more than 50,000 signatures, a process, which definitely requires a high degree of organization and logistical support” (nd, p. 14)<br /><br />• <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0); font-weight: bold;">Disruptive leverage </span>The disruption of the economic system in some way whether through blockades, boycotts etc which requires a large network oriented towards a common goal (p. 15)<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Negotiations between peak organizations</span> based on the built social capital of an organization with other organizations, these organizations were able to lobby and negotiate with the government as a collective, increasing their voice and power considerably<br /><br />•<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Lobbyism</span></span> “It appears justified to assume that social capital held by this group in the form of elites…may have been useful for building up political capital by lobbying” (p. 16)<br /><br />• <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0); font-weight: bold;">Strategic Use of Scientific Knowledge</span> “The alliance between academics and the grassroots-oriented NGO and PO movement is a distinctive feature of Thai politics, which has been described as a ‘third force.’<br /><br />• <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0); font-weight: bold;">Politicizability and Use of Ideological Resources</span> Built social capital in the form of networks and relationships with journalists and media groups can greatly assist a movement in politicizing an issue of interest and placing it in the centre of the public discourse. Being able to draw on these resources while piggy-backing on symbolic frames can be of great use to the movement. (p. 17).<br /><br />• <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0); font-weight: bold;">International Influence and “Iso-morphic Pressure</span>. Built networks and relationships with or memberships in global organizations and agreements such as the UN’s Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2015) can assist with mobilization of instrumental political capital.<br /><br />• <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0); font-weight: bold;">Discretionary Administrative Authority Networks</span> and relationships with government bureaucrats and administrators can be converted into political capital with high potential for impact including agenda creation and Bill formation.Candace Le Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293058606534636748noreply@blogger.com0