Valentina Baú
Biographic Data
| ID | 376373 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Valentina Baú |
| GIVEN NAMES | Valentina |
| FAMILY NAME | Baú |
| SIGNATURE | BAÚ V |
| AFFILIATIONS | Western Sydney University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0212-8644 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Between community development and humanitarian communication in protracted encampment
Information dependency
This article looks at the communicative ecology of young people living in refugee camps. Findings from research conducted in October 2022 in Kakuma camp, Kenya, with both humanitarian professionals and young people living in the camp are presented. The aim is to provide an understanding of the workings of this ecology and the role that humanitarian actors play within it. An illustration of the three layers of the communicative ecology of Kakuma y…
Community Building Through the Airwaves
This paper examines the role that community radio can play in a refugee camp, with particular focus on community building and social cohesion among young people. The article introduces the experience of RefFM in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. Findings from four focus groups with young refugees in Kakuma shed light on both the uses and perceptions of the radio station among Kakuma youth. They also present insights into the design of radio-based inter…
Communicative Ecologies of Displaced Youth Ways of Connecting in Protracted Situations of Encampment
This article offers an exploration of the communicative ecologies of young people in protracted situations of encampment. Findings from research conducted in Kakuma refugee camp (Kenya) and Za’atari refugee camp (Jordan) are introduced with the aim of building a picture of the information and communication structures that exist within young people’s lives in the camps. Understanding existing communication platforms and networks adopted by the you…
Reconceptualising Communication for Development
Communication plays a crucial role in driving social change. Communication for Development (C4D) is a field that highlights the importance of communication in development, concentrating on how to effectively use a diverse range of media and communication channels that enable the inclusion, expression, and exchange of different voices in the development process in order to bring about social transformation. Over the past few decades, C4D has under…
Social Cohesion in Protracted Displacement
This article brings to light the limits to peace that currently exist between young people in Kakuma refugee camp through a framework of social cohesion. The main drivers of conflict among the vastly diverse youth of Kakuma are examined to provide evidence of the gaps in social cohesion that endure in the camp. A framework of analysis built around notions related to social cohesion is applied to the qualitative data collected through semi-structu…
Reality TV and civic engagement
This article analyses the role that Reality TV can play in the lives of young participants, when a programme is designed as a strategic intervention to achieve change. With roots in Communication for Development notions, this study brings together different theoretical fields to illustrate how media can be created with the intent of enhancing young people’s awareness of the important role they can play in society through targeted activities that …
Communicating Social Cohesion in Forced Displacement
This paper addresses the role that communication and media interventions can play in fostering social cohesion among displaced populations in camp settings through a review of both practical and theoretical notions in this area. The multiple definitions available in the literature on social cohesion do not come to a consensus on what this concept means. Yet, despite this lack of substance, reflecting on social cohesion in contexts of displacement…
Posting “what” on social media? The (mis-)use of Facebook by young people in refugee camps
Purpose This paper aims to shed light on the threats that young people living in refugee camps face in their use of Facebook. While social media enable a participatory process of communication (Russo et al., 2008), which is based on the agency of the communicator and defined by their own cultural and moral goals (Lee et al., 2023), these platforms can at times be inappropriately pursued if the communicator lacks relevant skills. The outcome of su…
Looking beyond organisational approaches to advance communication practice
Organisation-centric approaches in development communication and public relations that privilege the organisation can restrict communication to organisational mandates and goals. Organisation-centric approaches can reflect a modernist view of development or communication and have been critiqued for favouring technocratic development rather than serving marginalised groups. Currently, scholars in development communication and public relations plac…
Viewing life as a timeline
This research note introduces the experience of using 'timelines' as a visual research method during online interviewing. It does so through a series of questions and answers that guide the reader through an exploration, understanding of and reflection on the method. This qualitative approach was used while conducting research on the influence that participation in a Reality TV show had on its finalists, and on the opportunities and life choices …
What killed Indymedia? Lessons from the IMC experience of Australia
This article presents the reflections of the former activists who started and led the initial years of the ‘anti-capitalist’ struggle of Indymedia, as an alternative media platform in Australia. Through the interview analysis, the challenges experienced by the collective have been clustered into four themes: decentralization of the network; open publishing; social and political context; and the rise of commercial social media. The inquisitive pro…
Open publishing, decentralisation, and the rise of new media platforms
The year 2019 marked the 20th anniversary of Indymedia. The last two decades have seen revolutionary moments in the field of alternative media, both from a historical and technological dimension. Indymedia has been one of the key players in this landscape, and reflecting on its experience 20 years later, is useful to try and unpack the factors that have shaped its journey
Breaking the Conflict Cycle, Building Peaceful Communities
Even after resettling in a new country, the trauma and resentment caused by the conflict experienced in their homeland are passed on from generation to generation among diaspora communities. One of the factors that perpetuate the conflict in their new reality is the ethnic separation that continues to be upheld and reinforced, from parents to children. This article discusses the experience of a participatory photography project that brought toget…
Radio, conflict and land grabbing in Sierra Leone
With a focus on entertainment education, this article sheds light on the effects of radio drama in addressing conflict over land governance. The discussion is built around the broadcast of Bush Wahala radio series during the recent land acquisition process that has taken place in Sierra Leone. Through the analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted by the author with rural farmers affected by this issue, on the one hand, this work generates …
Waving the flag for development communication
From the debated Modernisation paradigm all the way to the participatory and inclusive approaches for social change, development communication research has given rise to a stimulating scholarly discussion that has introduced both theoretical and evidence-based claims, which are contributing constructively to the evolvement of this discipline. By addressing a number of points that have been raised as evidence of a decline in communication research…
Citizen engagement in peacebuilding
By unearthing the connections between the literatures on participatory communication and civic engagement with the reality of postconflict peace, this article demonstrates how a communication for development (C4D) approach to engaging citizens in peacebuilding contributes to strengthening the reconstruction process at the end of the violence, while engendering a bottom up process based on dialogue and inclusivity. After offering a brief overview …
A narrative approach in evaluation
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce the new qualitative method of “Narratives of Change” to evaluate a project’s impact. This new methodology arises from a combination of the most significant change technique with a narrative analysis approach, and it is suitable for community development interventions. Design/methodology/approach Narrative approaches are seldom used in programme evaluation. However, depending on the nature and cont…
Participatory Photography for Peace
This article begins with a literature review of Participatory Photography (PP) that highlights how this tool has been mostly implemented for action research, advocacy, and public health purposes. It shows how scholars have only quite recently begun to recognise its ability to generate change among PP participants. This is followed by a description of the project that was carried out in Kenya, including its background, objectives and daily activit…
Communication for Development in Peacebuilding
This article highlights the key areas in which Communication for Development (C4D) can play a role in the aftermath of conflict, with a focus both at the community and at the national level. It provides an overview of the literature that has begun to discuss C4D in the light of peace creation. It identifies research directions that aid to shed light on the effectiveness of C4D interventions targeting issues that are specific to post-conflict envi…
A narrative approach in evaluation
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce the new qualitative method of “Narratives of Change” to evaluate a project’s impact. This new methodology arises from a combination of the most significant change technique with a narrative analysis approach, and it is suitable for community development interventions. Design/methodology/approach Narrative approaches are seldom used in programme evaluation. However, depending on the nature and cont…
Radio, conflict and land grabbing in Sierra Leone
With a focus on entertainment education, this article sheds light on the effects of radio drama in addressing conflict over land governance. The discussion is built around the broadcast of Bush Wahala radio series during the recent land acquisition process that has taken place in Sierra Leone. Through the analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted by the author with rural farmers affected by this issue, on the one hand, this work generates …
Participatory Photography for Peace
This article begins with a literature review of Participatory Photography (PP) that highlights how this tool has been mostly implemented for action research, advocacy, and public health purposes. It shows how scholars have only quite recently begun to recognise its ability to generate change among PP participants. This is followed by a description of the project that was carried out in Kenya, including its background, objectives and daily activit…
Posting “what” on social media? The (mis-)use of Facebook by young people in refugee camps
Purpose This paper aims to shed light on the threats that young people living in refugee camps face in their use of Facebook. While social media enable a participatory process of communication (Russo et al., 2008), which is based on the agency of the communicator and defined by their own cultural and moral goals (Lee et al., 2023), these platforms can at times be inappropriately pursued if the communicator lacks relevant skills. The outcome of su…
Breaking the Conflict Cycle, Building Peaceful Communities
Even after resettling in a new country, the trauma and resentment caused by the conflict experienced in their homeland are passed on from generation to generation among diaspora communities. One of the factors that perpetuate the conflict in their new reality is the ethnic separation that continues to be upheld and reinforced, from parents to children. This article discusses the experience of a participatory photography project that brought toget…
Citizen engagement in peacebuilding
By unearthing the connections between the literatures on participatory communication and civic engagement with the reality of postconflict peace, this article demonstrates how a communication for development (C4D) approach to engaging citizens in peacebuilding contributes to strengthening the reconstruction process at the end of the violence, while engendering a bottom up process based on dialogue and inclusivity. After offering a brief overview …
Communication for Development in Peacebuilding
This article highlights the key areas in which Communication for Development (C4D) can play a role in the aftermath of conflict, with a focus both at the community and at the national level. It provides an overview of the literature that has begun to discuss C4D in the light of peace creation. It identifies research directions that aid to shed light on the effectiveness of C4D interventions targeting issues that are specific to post-conflict envi…
Participatory Photography for Peace
This article begins with a literature review of Participatory Photography (PP) that highlights how this tool has been mostly implemented for action research, advocacy, and public health purposes. It shows how scholars have only quite recently begun to recognise its ability to generate change among PP participants. This is followed by a description of the project that was carried out in Kenya, including its background, objectives and daily activit…
Communication for Development in Peacebuilding
This article highlights the key areas in which Communication for Development (C4D) can play a role in the aftermath of conflict, with a focus both at the community and at the national level. It provides an overview of the literature that has begun to discuss C4D in the light of peace creation. It identifies research directions that aid to shed light on the effectiveness of C4D interventions targeting issues that are specific to post-conflict envi…
Waving the flag for development communication
From the debated Modernisation paradigm all the way to the participatory and inclusive approaches for social change, development communication research has given rise to a stimulating scholarly discussion that has introduced both theoretical and evidence-based claims, which are contributing constructively to the evolvement of this discipline. By addressing a number of points that have been raised as evidence of a decline in communication research…
Citizen engagement in peacebuilding
By unearthing the connections between the literatures on participatory communication and civic engagement with the reality of postconflict peace, this article demonstrates how a communication for development (C4D) approach to engaging citizens in peacebuilding contributes to strengthening the reconstruction process at the end of the violence, while engendering a bottom up process based on dialogue and inclusivity. After offering a brief overview …
A narrative approach in evaluation
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce the new qualitative method of “Narratives of Change” to evaluate a project’s impact. This new methodology arises from a combination of the most significant change technique with a narrative analysis approach, and it is suitable for community development interventions. Design/methodology/approach Narrative approaches are seldom used in programme evaluation. However, depending on the nature and cont…
Breaking the Conflict Cycle, Building Peaceful Communities
Even after resettling in a new country, the trauma and resentment caused by the conflict experienced in their homeland are passed on from generation to generation among diaspora communities. One of the factors that perpetuate the conflict in their new reality is the ethnic separation that continues to be upheld and reinforced, from parents to children. This article discusses the experience of a participatory photography project that brought toget…
Radio, conflict and land grabbing in Sierra Leone
With a focus on entertainment education, this article sheds light on the effects of radio drama in addressing conflict over land governance. The discussion is built around the broadcast of Bush Wahala radio series during the recent land acquisition process that has taken place in Sierra Leone. Through the analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted by the author with rural farmers affected by this issue, on the one hand, this work generates …
What killed Indymedia? Lessons from the IMC experience of Australia
This article presents the reflections of the former activists who started and led the initial years of the ‘anti-capitalist’ struggle of Indymedia, as an alternative media platform in Australia. Through the interview analysis, the challenges experienced by the collective have been clustered into four themes: decentralization of the network; open publishing; social and political context; and the rise of commercial social media. The inquisitive pro…
Open publishing, decentralisation, and the rise of new media platforms
The year 2019 marked the 20th anniversary of Indymedia. The last two decades have seen revolutionary moments in the field of alternative media, both from a historical and technological dimension. Indymedia has been one of the key players in this landscape, and reflecting on its experience 20 years later, is useful to try and unpack the factors that have shaped its journey
Reality TV and civic engagement
This article analyses the role that Reality TV can play in the lives of young participants, when a programme is designed as a strategic intervention to achieve change. With roots in Communication for Development notions, this study brings together different theoretical fields to illustrate how media can be created with the intent of enhancing young people’s awareness of the important role they can play in society through targeted activities that …
Communicating Social Cohesion in Forced Displacement
This paper addresses the role that communication and media interventions can play in fostering social cohesion among displaced populations in camp settings through a review of both practical and theoretical notions in this area. The multiple definitions available in the literature on social cohesion do not come to a consensus on what this concept means. Yet, despite this lack of substance, reflecting on social cohesion in contexts of displacement…
Posting “what” on social media? The (mis-)use of Facebook by young people in refugee camps
Purpose This paper aims to shed light on the threats that young people living in refugee camps face in their use of Facebook. While social media enable a participatory process of communication (Russo et al., 2008), which is based on the agency of the communicator and defined by their own cultural and moral goals (Lee et al., 2023), these platforms can at times be inappropriately pursued if the communicator lacks relevant skills. The outcome of su…
Looking beyond organisational approaches to advance communication practice
Organisation-centric approaches in development communication and public relations that privilege the organisation can restrict communication to organisational mandates and goals. Organisation-centric approaches can reflect a modernist view of development or communication and have been critiqued for favouring technocratic development rather than serving marginalised groups. Currently, scholars in development communication and public relations plac…
Viewing life as a timeline
This research note introduces the experience of using 'timelines' as a visual research method during online interviewing. It does so through a series of questions and answers that guide the reader through an exploration, understanding of and reflection on the method. This qualitative approach was used while conducting research on the influence that participation in a Reality TV show had on its finalists, and on the opportunities and life choices …
Information dependency
This article looks at the communicative ecology of young people living in refugee camps. Findings from research conducted in October 2022 in Kakuma camp, Kenya, with both humanitarian professionals and young people living in the camp are presented. The aim is to provide an understanding of the workings of this ecology and the role that humanitarian actors play within it. An illustration of the three layers of the communicative ecology of Kakuma y…
Community Building Through the Airwaves
This paper examines the role that community radio can play in a refugee camp, with particular focus on community building and social cohesion among young people. The article introduces the experience of RefFM in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. Findings from four focus groups with young refugees in Kakuma shed light on both the uses and perceptions of the radio station among Kakuma youth. They also present insights into the design of radio-based inter…
Communicative Ecologies of Displaced Youth Ways of Connecting in Protracted Situations of Encampment
This article offers an exploration of the communicative ecologies of young people in protracted situations of encampment. Findings from research conducted in Kakuma refugee camp (Kenya) and Za’atari refugee camp (Jordan) are introduced with the aim of building a picture of the information and communication structures that exist within young people’s lives in the camps. Understanding existing communication platforms and networks adopted by the you…
Reconceptualising Communication for Development
Communication plays a crucial role in driving social change. Communication for Development (C4D) is a field that highlights the importance of communication in development, concentrating on how to effectively use a diverse range of media and communication channels that enable the inclusion, expression, and exchange of different voices in the development process in order to bring about social transformation. Over the past few decades, C4D has under…
Social Cohesion in Protracted Displacement
This article brings to light the limits to peace that currently exist between young people in Kakuma refugee camp through a framework of social cohesion. The main drivers of conflict among the vastly diverse youth of Kakuma are examined to provide evidence of the gaps in social cohesion that endure in the camp. A framework of analysis built around notions related to social cohesion is applied to the qualitative data collected through semi-structu…
Between community development and humanitarian communication in protracted encampment
Sociology (16 works) · Political science (13 works) · Public relations (10 works) · Law (7 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Law (6 works) · Media studies (6 works) · Engineering (5 works) · Social media (5 works) · Business (4 works)