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
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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
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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
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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