Nota introdutória [Comunicação e Sociedade 36: Resgatar a participação]

Comunicação e Sociedade, ol. 36, 2019, pp. 9-14 h ps://doi.o g/10.17231/comsoc.36(2019).2390 In oduc o y no e No a in odu ó ia Fábio Ribei o Depa men o Humani ies, A s and Communica ion, School o Human and Social Sciences, Uni e si y o T ás-os-Mon es and Al o Dou o / Communica ion and Socie y Resea ch Cen e, Ins i u e o Social Sciences, Uni e si y o Minho, Po ugal Ana Dua e Melo Communica ion and Socie y Resea ch Cen e, Ins i u e o Social Sciences, Uni e si y o Minho, Po ugal Nico Ca pen ie Ins i u e o Communica ion S udies and Jou nalism, Cha les Uni e si y, Czech Republic Why is pa icipa ion ele an ? Wha is mean when he concep is used? How can we ensu e ha pa icipa ion is used in a esponsible way, and ende ed meaning ul in he di e en spaces o socie y? These may be he mos impo an ques ions ha mo i a ed us, edi o s o his olume o Comunicação e Sociedade, o p opose a discussion on he no ewo hiness o pa icipa ion, and o in i e schola s om ac oss he globe o p esen hei pe spec i es on wha a posi i e and meaning ul app oach owa ds pa icipa ion means o hem. The esul o his long p ocess is his jou nal issue, en i led “Rescuing pa icipa ion”. This olume p esen s 10 a icles, a ailable in bo h Po uguese and English, p o- duced by esea che s om di e en la i udes ha span he globe. Many come om Eu- ope (Belgium, Po ugal, Uni ed Kingdom, Spain and Sweden), bu some come om B azil and Indonesia. They p esen hei pe spec i es on wha hey see as a posi i e – and p agma ic – app oach o pa icipa ion, in a a ie y o ields, including public consul a- ions on en i onmen al issues; pa icipa ion wi hin he scope o cul u al policy; pa icipa- ion in elemen a y schools (as a media li e acy p ojec ); in ic ion/d ama; and, ul ima ely, as a way o engage unde p i ileged and ma ginalized communi ies. P obably he only excep ion o his p agma ic iew can be ound in he las a icle, which b ings high heo y back o he able, by a guing ha pa icipa ion can be pe cei ed as a (again, posi i e) alisman wi hin con empo a y social dynamics. The i s a icle in his olume, “Rescuing pa icipa ion: a c i ique on he da k pa - icipa ion concep ”, plays a speci ic ole. W i en by he olume edi o s – Nico Ca pen ie , Ana Dua e Melo and Fábio Ribei o –, i e lec s abou he con ibu ion o he hema ic olume o pa icipa o y heo y. I s s a ing poin is he luidi y o he concep o pa icipa- ion, and i s di e en meanings in a mul i ude o heo e ical amewo ks and academic adi ions. Mo eo e , as a key concep , pa icipa ion is also subjec ed o he wa es o Comunicação e Sociedade, ol. 36, 2019 10 In oduc o y no e . Fábio Ribei o, Ana Dua e Melo & Nico Ca pen ie ashion ha cha ac e ize academia. In Communica ion and Media S udies, he concep e-gained popula i y wi h he ad en o Web 2.0 – and la e wi h social media – condens- ing he op imism and hope o u he democ a iza ions o ou socie ies. Una oidably, disappoin men abou hese impossible expec a ions ollowed, which now p oduces he isk o disc edi ing he no ion o pa icipa ion i sel , h ough i s alignmen wi h he da k sides o human beha iou . This a icle aims o esis his mo emen , h ough wo lines o a gumen . A i s line o a gumen is based on he discussions abou he de ini ion o pa ici- pa ion, whe e he dys opian and ala mis app oaches owa ds pa icipa ion a e seen o deploy e y b oad de ini ions o pa icipa ion, which implici ly equa e pa icipa ion o all o ms o social in e ac ion. The mo e es ic i e app oach owa ds pa icipa ion, ha we p opose and ende explici , allows emphasizing wha pa icipa ion is no . I also enables us o a gue ha pa icipa ion is inhe en ly e hical, and needs o be dis inguished om i s condi ions o possibili y, om i s ou comes, and needs o be embedded in a democ a ic cul u e. The second line o a gumen a ion is no so much c i iquing he c i iques, bu is based on a mo e posi i e app oach, analysing he a eas o ele ance o pa icipa ion. He e, he h ee logics model – de eloped by Glynos and Howa h (2007) – is used o a gue o he social, poli ical and an asma ic ele ance o pa icipa ion. The combina- ion o hese logics p oduces a wide- anging lis o a gumen s (namely he p o ec i e, agonis , human- igh s, educa ional, in eg a i e, juissance and d i e a gumen s) ha o- ge he allow o a gue ha pa icipa ion s ill ma e s, and ha i needs o be p o ec ed om heo e ically-naï e ala mis c i iques. The second a icle in his olume, by Mi en Gu ié ez, is en i led “Pa icipa ion in a da a ied en i onmen : ques ions abou da a li e acy”. The au ho discusses he conse- quences o he “da a ica ion o e e y hing” o pa icipa ion, poin ing o a con ex whe e he digi al en i onmen has become bo h an impo an loca ion and an impo an enable o pa icipa ion. Ins ead o nai ely celeb a ing he capaci ies o he digi al o enhance (o e en “ ealize”) pa icipa ion, Gu ié ez looks a i s ba ie s and oppo uni ies, whe e da a anxie y and he wo king o he da a in as uc u e indus y can be seen o impose se ious limi s. Gu ié ez mainly ocusses on ano he ba ie , namely he absence o da a li e acy, whe e da a li e acy is a signi ican condi ion o possibili y o pa icipa ion. He key a gumen hen becomes ha – in his ma ix o unequal powe ela ions – pa icipa- ion can (and needs o) be escued by demolishing hese ba ie s, and by c ea ing new spaces ha allow o dina y people o enac hei da a agency. In “Beyond he hind ances: expe iences o public consul a ions and he possibili y o e hics and ele ance in pa icipa ion”, Ma ia Fe nandes-Jesus, Eunice Cas o Seixas and Anabela Ca alho analyse he pa icipa o y capaci ies o public consul a ions, which ha e o en been c i iqued o emaining s uck in o a okenis ic app oach owa ds pa - icipa ion. To engage wi h his heo e ical discussion, he a icle in oduces an empi ical app oach and looks in o a pa icula public consul a ion, ha was launched in 2013 and deal wi h he cons uc ion o ex a-high ol age powe lines connec ing he no hwes - e n pa s o Po ugal and Spain. In o de o be e unde s and he ci izens’ na a ed Comunicação e Sociedade, ol. 36, 2019 11 In oduc o y no e . Fábio Ribei o, Ana Dua e Melo & Nico Ca pen ie expe iences, he au ho s deploy he dis inc ion be ween access, s anding and in luence, ha was used by Senecah (2004). This dis inc ion e e s o h ee (in e dependen ) ele- men s: he abili y o speak abou oppo uni ies and choices, he legi imacy o he p o- cess, and he impac ha hese oices ha e on he ou come. The in e iews and ocus g oup discussions show a disce ning se o c i iques on he democ a ic na u e o he consul a ion p ocess, which was conside ed o be decei ul, dishones and dis espec ul. Bu , as he au ho s a gued, he analysis o ci izen oices also showed he exp ession o a desi e o (genuine) pa icipa ion, o ins ance, by o mula ing p oposals o imp o e he pa icipa o y in ensi ies o public consul a ions. These oices eed in o he a gumen a- ion ha he e is a d i e o pa icipa ion and empowe men , ha makes pa icipa ion p ecious and necessi a es i s implemen a ion in social p ac ice. So ia Linds öm Sol’s a icle, en i led “The democ a ic alue o pa icipa ion in Swedish cul u al policy”, ocusses on he ield o cul u e and he a s, in o de o s udy how (cul u al) pa icipa ion becomes a icula ed in his ield. E en i Swedish cul u al policies ha e a hegemonic s a ing poin – he idea ha cul u e is good – he e a e s ill di e en discu si e a icula ions o his main idea. The au ho dis inguishes wo main discou ses, namely cul u e-as-enable (o good hings) and cul u e-as-p e en e (o bad hings), a dis inc ion ha s uc u ally impac s on how pa icipa ion is de ined, ei he as inhe en o as ins umen al, as a means in i sel o a means o an end, o , in ye o he wo ds, as d i en by a co po a is o by a populis model. In e lec ing abou he pos- sible econcilia ions o bo h models, and hei possible complimen a y na u e, he au- ho poin s o he s uggle o e he in e p e a ion o pa icipa ion, and hus i s cen ali y in con empo a y cul u al policy discussions – whe e pa icipa ion is clea ly signi ican enough o be s uggled abou – bu also o he di icul ela ionship be ween he ields o a s and poli ics, wi h hei logics o cul u al c ea ion and go e nance. This hen ul i- ma ely aises he ques ion abou who ge s o decide on he na u e, objec and in ensi y o pa icipa ion in he ield o he a s. Pa icipa ion a he e y young ages is a he cen e o he a icle “Ac i e ci izen- ship and pa icipa ion h ough he media: a communi y p ojec ocused on p e-school and p ima y school child en”. He e, Ví o Tomé, Paula Lopes, B uno Reis and Ca los Ped o Dias – all om he Au onomous Uni e si y o Lisbon (Po ugal) – look in o how educa ional en i onmen and amilies enable child en o become ac i e digi al ci izens. The a icle is an analysis o pa icipa ion in he “Digi al ci izenship educa ion o demo- c a ic pa icipa ion” p ojec ha ook place in 2015, in a communi y in he ou ski s o Lisbon. Using an ac ion esea ch me hodology, he esea ch s udied o mal, non- o mal and in o mal lea ning con ex s, assessing child en’s sel -pe cep ion ega ding ci izen- ship and ci ic pa icipa ion, bu also he eache s’ and gua dians’ pe cep ions. The analy- sis acked he child en e ol ing om non-pa icipa ion o clea in ol emen , and om using adi ional media o p oducing digi al con en . In hei e alua ion, he au ho s poin o he impo ance o p io knowledge o he con ex , in o de o allow o he ad- equa e implemen a ion o such p ojec s, ensu ing he in ol emen and commi men o educa ional au ho i ies, he esea che ’s suppo o he eache s and he con ibu ion o media p o essionals. Comunicação e Sociedade, ol. 36, 2019 12 In oduc o y no e . Fábio Ribei o, Ana Dua e Melo & Nico Ca pen ie “The p ac ice o media ed pa icipa ion in Indonesian ma ginalised communi ies” by Ku niawan Adi Sapu o, om he Indonesia Ins i u e o he A s Yogyaka a, and Ba i Pa ama a Islam, an independen esea che , deals wi h pa icipa o y ilm p oduc ion. The a icle ocuses on wo case s udies o ma ginalized communi ies in Indonesia: a communi y o belie e s in a adi ional eligion (penghaya ) in Elu Loda and a commu- ni y o disabled people in Salam Rejo. The wo communi ies we e obse ed du ing hei pa icipa ion in ilm wo kshops om Oc obe 2018 o Feb ua y 2019, esul ing in an analysis o he con ex o pa icipa ion and how hese p ac ices enable and cons ain i . Using in e iews and ques ionnai es o s udy he ela ion be ween communica i e p ac- ices and s o y elling, he au ho s show how pe sonal and collec i e na a i es abou he pa icipan s’ iden i ies and his o ies eme ged om he expe ience, and how hese we e s uc u ed by he communica i e o ms and gen es, by he cul u al con ex , and by he pa icipan s’ embeddedness in he communi y. A case o non-human, hyb id pa icipa ion – showing ha pa icipa ion ma e s because o i s abili y o b ing in a di e si y o oices – is desc ibed in “Pa icipa ion and in angible cul u al he i age: a case s udy o ‘Ta a, place o e e ence o he Gua ani peo- ple’”. In his a icle, Rod igo Lace da ocuses on he p ocess o ecognizing in angible cul u al he i age (ICH) as i has been ins i u ionalized by Unesco (2003); i is a p ocess ha equi es he pa icipa ion o g oups and communi ies in he iden i ica ion, sa e- gua ding and main enance o hei he i age. Analyzing he decade-long pa imonializa- ion o he uins o he São Miguel Jesui -Gua ani Missions, in Rio G ande do Sul (B azil), he au ho desc ibes how he ini ial Gua ani esis ance o he p ocess was g adually o e - come by a ini y and ecip oci y in he ela ions be ween indigenous and non-indigenous agen s, he alo iza ion o he poli ical po en ial o he he i age ecogni ion p ocess and he in luence o spi i ual aspec s – namely he pa icipa ion o non-humans ac o s – ha , esul ed in 2014 in he iden i ica ion and egis a ion o his cul u al landma k. In he a icle “Online pla o ms o ci izen pa icipa ion: me a-syn hesis and c i i- cal analysis o hei social and poli ical impac s”, w i en by he B azilian au ho s Rose Ma ie San ini and Hanna Ca alho, we can ind a deep conce n abou he e ec i eness o ci izens’ inclusion in he public and digi al sphe e. Based on a e y sys ema ic li e a u e e iew, ocussing on he wo ld-wide op jou nals included in Scopus and Web o Science, he au ho s analysed a la ge numbe o scien i ic a icles. Thei analysis allowed hem o conclude, o ins ance, ha ci izens s ill s uggle wi h hei go e nmen s o ge explana- ions on poli ical s a egies. Fo San ini and Ca alho, “powe – and no echnology – is he key obs acle o e ec i e online ci izen pa icipa ion, whose ba ie s a e nu u ed by adi ional poli ical eli e wi h li le in e es in building a anspa en , inclusi e and collabo a i e democ acy” (p. 155). I is exac ly his obs acle ha p e en s ci izens om becoming in ol ed, mo i a ed and esponsible. Anna Zaluczkowska, in he a icle “Meaning ul pa icipa ion ia nego ia ed na - a i es”, analyses he in e ac i e and ansmedia “Red B anch He oes” p ojec , se in No he n I eland. This p ojec , which in ol ed he au ho , expe imen ed wi h he c ea ion o nego ia ed na a i es, ha agonis ically inco po a ed a di e si y o oices, including Comunicação e Sociedade, ol. 36, 2019 13 In oduc o y no e . Fábio Ribei o, Ana Dua e Melo & Nico Ca pen ie he oices o au ho s, acili a o s and coo dina o s. In e ac i e na a i es, e en i hey o en open he doo o a ce ain deg ee o use in ol emen , can s ill be o ganised in a a ie y o ways, wi h many di e en ways o empowe ing pa icipan s, o no empowe - ing hem. The “Red B anch He oes” p ojec shows ha – pa ially h ough he liminali y o his gen e and by ca e ully na iga ing h ough he complexi ies o con empo a y su - eillance socie y – oppo uni ies o democ a ic mul i ocali y and s onge pa icipa o y in ensi ies can a ise, which in u n can suppo he cons uc ion o mo e democ a ic and decen alized socie ies. Bu his p ojec also demons a es ha schola s can ac i ely con ibu e o he enhancemen o pa icipa o y p ac ices, hus signi ying hei ele ance h ough he pe o mance o p ac ice-based esea ch. Finally, Ignacio Be gillos’s a icle, as men ioned be o e, akes a speci ic pe spec i e. Less keen on using an empi ical/p agma ic app oach owa ds pa icipa ion, he a icle “Pa icipa ion as a alisman: a me apho ical- heo e ical e lec ion abou he concep ual- iza ion o pa icipa ion” d aws on a peculia (and s ill posi i e) de ini ion o pa icipa- ion, a icula ing i as an amule o alisman, “symbolically empowe ing, phan asmago i- cal, da k, aes he ic o aluable” (p. 209). Ignacio’s e o is conce ned wi h he social, psychological and an asma ic dimensions o pa icipa ion, which makes his con ibu- ion highly inno a i e, and e en a bi p o oca i e. Bu e en ually, also Ignacio Be gillos concludes: “pa icipa ion is a icula ed wi h powe , pa icipa ion in okes democ a ic al- ues, pa icipa ion is au hen ic o a e ish, pa icipa ion is symbolic o a my h, pa icipa ion equi es a ce ain i ual ha empowe s and i engages emo ionally” (p. 217). Re e ences Glynos, J. & Howa h, D. (2007). Logics o c i ical explana ion in social and poli ical heo y. London and New Yo k: Rou ledge. Senecah, S. L. (2004). The ini y o oice: he ole o p ac ical heo y in planning and e alua ing he e ec i eness o en i onmen al pa icipa o y p ocesses. In S. P. Depoe, J. W. Delica h & M. F. Elsenbee (Eds.), Communica ion and public pa icipa ion in en i onmen al decision making (pp. 13-33). Albany: S a e Uni e si y o New Yo k P ess. Biog aphical no es Fábio Ribei o (PhD) is Assis an P o esso a he Uni e si y o T ás-os-Mon es e Al o Dou o (UTAD), in Vila Real – Po ugal. He eaches Jou nalism (P ess, Radio and Tele ision) and Sociology o Communica ion. As a Resea che in he Communica ion and Socie y Resea ch Cen e o he Uni e si y o Minho, he is in e es ed in he ield o media and pa icipa ion, Communica ion Science and Radio S udies. Since 2017, he is ice-chai o he Radio and Sound S udies Sec ion o he Po uguese Associa ion o he Communica ion Sciences (Sopcom). ORCID: h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0001-8071-6145 Email: [email p o ec ed] Comunicação e Sociedade, ol. 36, 2019 14 In oduc o y no e . Fábio Ribei o, Ana Dua e Melo & Nico Ca pen ie Add ess: Depa men o Humani ies, A s and Communica ion, School o Human and Social Sciences, Uni e si y o T ás-os-Mon es and Al o Dou o, Quin a de P ados, 5000-801 Vila Real Ana Dua e Melo (PhD) is Assis an P o esso a he Uni e si y o Minho whe e she eaches ad e ising, s a egic and e i o ial communica ion, c ea i i y and sc ip w i ing. He esea ch a he Communica ion and Socie y Resea ch Cen e combines pa icipa- ion, ad e ising and s a egic and e i o ial communica ion. Vice-Chai o he Pa icipa- o y Communica ion Resea ch Sec ion o IAMCR – In e na ional Associa ion o Media and Communica ion Resea ch (since 2016), she has been in ol ed in di e se scien i ic o ums and publica ions. ORCID: h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0002-4598-7174 Email: [email p o ec ed] Add ess: Communica ion and Socie y Resea ch Cen e, Ins i u e o Social Sciences, Uni e si y o Minho, Campus de Gual a , 4710 - 057 B aga, Po ugal Nico Ca pen ie is Ex ao dina y P o esso a Cha les Uni e si y in P ague; he also holds pa - ime posi ions a he V ije Uni e si ei B ussel (VUB - F ee Uni e si y o B us- sels), as Associa e P o esso , and a Uppsala Uni e si y, as Senio Resea che . Mo eo- e , he is a Resea ch Fellow a he Cyp us Uni e si y o Technology and Loughbo ough Uni e si y. Ea lie , he was ECREA T easu e (2005-2012) and Vice-P esiden (2008-2012), and IAMCR T easu e (2012-2016). Cu en ly, he is Chai o he Pa icipa o y Communi- ca ion Resea ch Sec ion a IAMCR. ORCID: h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0002-8996-4636 Email: nico.ca pen ie @ s .cuni.cz Add ess: Ins i u e o Communica ion S udies and Jou nalism, Cha les Uni e si y, Sme ano o nábřeží 6, 110 01 P aha 1, Czech Republic