This seminar series explores the role the media play as political actors in developing countries and fragile states. It gathers scholars from a variety of disciplines to examine how old and new media are used to support different political agenda: from foreign countries trying to win the hearts and minds of a local population to local governments aiming at increasing their ability to communicate with, but also exercise control over, their citizens. Particular attention will be paid to understanding how flows of information can be mapped in contexts characterized by an increasing media density, resulting from the liberalization of the airwaves, the diffusion of mobile phones and new media, and the persistence of traditional modes of communication.

The seminar series is part of a year-long programme of events organized by the Centre of Governance and Human Rights (CGHR) at the University of Cambridge, the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Politics (PCMLP), Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, at the University of Oxford and the Justice and Security Research Programme (JSRP) at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Week 2 – Wed 25 January THE USE OF ICTS FOR POLITICAL MOBILIZATION AND PARTICIPATION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
ROUND TABLE: Dr Sharath Srinivasan, Dr Florence Brisset-Foucault, University of Cambridge, Dr Iginio Gagliardone, University of Oxford

Week 3 – Wed 1 February THE EPARTICIPATION ECOLOGY OF KENYA
Dr Vincenzo Cavallo, Cultural Video Foundation, Nairobi

Week 4 – Wed 8 February THE CONDITIONS OF STRATEGIC NARRATIVE EFFECTIVENESS: INFRASTRUCTURE, INTENTION, EXPERIENCE
Professor Ben O’Loughlin, Royal Holloway, University of London

Week 5 – Wed 15 February CHINA’S INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH: SOFT POWER AND THE SOFT USE OF POWER
Professor Gary Rawnsley, University of Leeds

Week 6 – Wed 22 February BROADCASTING THE STATE: TRIBE, CITIZENSHIP AND THE POLITICS OF RADIO DRAMA IN AFGHANISTAN
Professor Marie Gillespie, Open University

Week 7 – Wed 29 February AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF THE MEDIA FOR POLITICAL MOBILIZATION
Dr John Postill, Sheffield Hallam University

~ All are welcome, please email iginio.gagliardone@csls.ox.ac.uk for further information ~

**If you missed this series, we have made the videos available online in the MULTIMEDIA section of this website.