Tesi sul tema "Communication in science – social aspects"

 The relationship between Internet technology and human beings has been the main focus in the realm of Internet study. Those studies, generally speaking, either paid attention to the political, economical and social influences of the burgeoning Internet technology on human society, or focusing on the changing of human behavior, attitudes and psychological conditions in the Internet technological environment. Lacking of considering the core nature of Internet technology, most of studies, though proposed many insightful arguments, cannot explain why and in what way the Internet has such great influences on human beings. Since the Internet technology constructed the cyberspace, its relationship with human beings has been undoubtedly influenced by the inherent nature of the Internet. Examining the intrinsic nature and the bias of Internet technology, this study proposes the concept of cyber-micropower to describe the power relationships in the Internet field, and explores the origins of cyber-micropower. By investigating the formation and operational mechanism of the three kinds of cyber-micropower – information micropower, context micropower and subject micropower, this study provides a new analytical framework to the Internet study as well as understanding various cyberspace phenomena. The qualitative methods, especially critical literature research, online participant observation, and oral history are adopted to make thick description of various online phenomena, get empirical online data and develop the key concept of cyber-micropower. Particularly, the formation of information micropower is examined through the phenomenon of online free. Based on the analysis of online virtual identity, the formation process of context micropower and subject micropower can be developed. Then, the operational mechanism of cyber-micropower was mainly investigated through human flesh searching phenomenon. Briefly, this study argues that the bias of Internet technology is liquidity. As the core features of the Internet, both digitalization and networking of information directly reflect the widespread requiring for liquidity. This liquid Internet plays the role by empowering cyber subjects. Cyber-micropower, then, is the liquid networking relations among cyber subjects. During online interactions and the Internet use, cyber subjects always tend to make surveillance and self-surveillance, restriction and self-restriction, group participating and other ways, through which cyber subjects adapted to the new liquid cyber contexts and relations, as well as positioning their own locations in the liquid network. This new liquid disciplinary model in the “many watch the many” kind of cyberspace is the operational mechanism of cyber-micropower. Accordingly, disciplined cyber subjects and cyber conditions are like numerous panopticons superimposed together. Then, this study further argues that with the development of Internet technology, the liquid may be faster, and a larger scale of digitalization and intensive networking will follow. Such trends, though may liberate human beings initially, will go beyond humans’ ultimate state in the end. The liquid nature of information restricts cyber subjects’ ability of self-reflexive and understanding. And the liquid cyberspace may promote multiple and unstable virtual identities. As a result, cyber subjects’ cyber-micropower will become more fragile and sensitive. And the human nature may also be networked and liquefied gradually. Yet, when human beings become numerous nodes in the liquid network, not only their traditional ethics and morality are in the danger of reversing, but also the meaning of humans’ existence may be challenged.
published_or_final_version
Linguistics
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy

There has been much research conducted into the phenomenon of online social networking. However, there has not been enough research conducted to establish its affect on our overall communication patterns. This research study focuses on the way in which Facebook is redefining perceptions of public and private communication. Using the current body of research paired with a varied theoretical backing, this research establishes Facebook's affect on the communication of college students while also noting how the users affect the way this medium is used. Focus groups at a private University were conducted to establish current uses and perceptions of Facebook and how college students utilize the site to communicate. The research discovered that through Facebook, a new version of confessing one's thoughts has been established and intensified. Also, the research discovered that students had difficulty in defining their own versions of private and public information, but they understood that the line between the two is no longer distinct.

The growth of social media use raises significant questions related to political information and its effect on political knowledge and participation. One issue is whether social media delivers news and political information in a similar manner as traditional news media sources, like newspapers, TV, and radio, by contributing to political knowledge, which is linked to voter turnout. This dissertation examines the relationship between an individual's social media use, their use of traditional news media sources, and whether they turn out to vote. It utilizes American National Election Survey data from the 2016 U.S. Presidential election to complete three studies. First, the dissertation compares people who prefer social media and those who prefer traditional news media sources across as series of political habits and attitudes. Second, it looks at the expansion of the media environment and examines whether a person's social media use and preference for news or entertainment is related to political knowledge and voter participation. Finally, this dissertations examines at whether social media use increases the odds an individual will turn out to vote, thus acting in a similar manner as traditional news media. The results identify differences between people who prefer social media and people who prefer traditional news media sources. In particular, people who prefer social media tend to be younger, have less political knowledge, and have a lower voter turnout rate. However, unlike traditional news media use, the use of social media did not increase the odds an individual turned out to vote in 2016. Further, the use of social media and an individual's content preference of entertainment versus news was not related to political knowledge nor voter turnout. While social media does not appear to have a positive relationship with turnout, it does not appear to discourage a person from voting either. The results suggest that more work needs to be done, including examining the relationship between age, social media use and turnout, as well as how content length may be related to political participation. Finally, further examination is needed of the possible indirect ways social media may be related to voter attitudes and participation.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Health scientists agree that the media is a crucial conduit for communicating life-saving, preventative and curative health messages to a wider audience. They also concur that they are the gatekeepers, and the responsibility of communicating their findings and health information to the public rests with them. And yet, their relationship with journalists is often unhealthy and in need of attention. Many health scientists lack knowledge and understanding about who the media are, and what they require to do the job of reporting ethically and professionally. They often lack the skills needed to frame simple, succinct messages timeously, especially on controversial issues such as vaccines and drug safety, immunisation and drug treatment for infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS. This study argues that health scientists/professionals globally, irrespective of culture, ethnicity, creed, language or media systems, need training on how to communicate with the media in the interests of public health. This is especially so in the modern world with its complex, high-speed communication. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of a WHO media communication training programme for health scientists worldwide. More specifically, the study sought to shed light on whether the training shifted their perceptions and attitudes to the media. And, if so, in what way? It also aimed to find out if the trainees learned any skills on how to deal with reporters. The research methodology was qualitative. A review of the literature, to establish current thinking in the field, was followed by interviews with health professionals. The interviewees are from China, South Africa and Ghana and received the same basic training either in South Africa, China or Sri Lanka. Some were trained in 2005, others in 2004 and others before that. Most had been trained together with participants from other countries. Two focus groups were conducted in China before and after training. Included, is an account of the aims and objectives of each module of the actual training. The study also made use of WHO documents and news and feature articles from newspapers, radio and the internet. Most participants had never had media communication training but had been interviewed by reporters. While some had positive experiences, others felt bruised by their interactions with journalists. After training, however, they registered a shift in attitude toward feeling more positive and less fearful of the media. They felt more confident and better equipped to engage with journalists. Most participants desired more training to consolidate the skills that they had learned. Some had managed to put the training to good use by developing similar programmes in their own country. Others who were trained more recently were enthusiastic about the prospect of sharing ideas with colleagues. Those who were unlikely to deal with the media directly said they felt they could at last contribute to discussions on the media in the workplace. The WHO training, albeit a first step aimed at bridging the gap between health professionals and journalists, goes a long way in addressing the frustrations and the complexities of dealing with the media. Health professionals want to communicate because they need to reach their target population, the ordinary person in the street. Training and facilitation can empower health professionals to deal constructively with the media in getting health messages to the public. This training programme, which imparts practical skills including how to prepare and manage interviews, could be adapted to meet the needs of scientists from different disciplines.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gesondheidswetenskaplikes is dit eens dat die media ‘n uiters belangrike middel is om lewensreddende, voorkomende en genesende gesondheidsboodskappe aan ‘n groter gehoor oor te dra. Hulle stem ook saam dat hulle die hekwagters is en die verantwoordelikheid het om hul bevindinge en gesondheidsinligting aan die publiek oor te dra. Tog is hul verhouding met joernaliste dikwels ongesond en sorgwekkend. Talle gesondheidswetenskaplikes het geen kennis en begrip van wie die media is en wat hulle nodig het om hul taak – verslaggewing – eties en professioneel te verrig nie. Hulle kort dikwels die vaardighede om eenvoudige, saaklike boodskappe betyds te formuleer, veral as dit kom by omstrede aangeleenthede soos veilige entstowwe en medisyne, immunisering en medisyne vir die behandeling van aansteeklike siektes. Hierdie studie voer aan dat wetenskaplikes/gesondheidsberoepslui wêreldwyd – ongeag kultuur, etnisiteit, geloof, taal of mediastelsels – ‘n behoefte het aan opleiding om beter met die media te kommunikeer ter wille van openbare gesondheid. Dit is veral belangrik vir die ingewikkelde en snelle kommunikasie van die moderne wêreld. Die doel van die studie was om die uitwerking van ‘n wêreldwye opleidingsprogram van die WGO oor kommunikasie met die media te bepaal. Die studie het meer spesifiek probeer lig werp op die vraag of die opleiding hul begrip van en ingesteldheid teenoor die media verander het. En, indien wel, op watter manier? Dit het ook probeer vasstel of deelnemers enige vaardighede aangeleer het oor hoe om met verslaggewers om te gaan. ‘n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodiek is gevolg. Bestaande literatuur is bestudeer om huidige denkrigtings op die gebied te bepaal, waarna onderhoude met gesondheidsberoepslui asook ‘n TV-gesondheidsverslaggewer van Beijing, China, gevoer is. Die ondervraagdes kom van China, Suid-Afrika en Ghana en het dieselfde basiese opleiding in Suid-Afrika, China of Sri Lanka ondergaan. Sommige is in 2005 opgelei, party in 2004 en ander vroeër. Die meeste is saam met deelnemers van ander lande opgelei. Twee fokusgroepe is voor en ná opleiding in China bestudeer. ‘n Verslag oor die oogmerke en doelwitte van elke module van die werklike opleiding is ingesluit. Die studie het ook gebruik gemaak van WGO-dokumente, nuus- en artikels uit nuusblaaie, die radio en die internet. Die meeste deelnemers het nooit opleiding in mediakommunikasie gehad nie, hoewel verslaggewers al onderhoude met hulle gevoer het. Terwyl dit vir sommige ‘n aangename ondervinding was, het ander nie goeie herinneringe aan hul interaksie met joernaliste nie. Ná opleiding het hulle egter getuig van ‘n positiewer gesindheid teenoor en minder vrees vir die media. Die meerderheid van die deelnemers wou graag verdere opleiding hê om hul pas verworwe vaardighede uit te bou. Party kon selfs soortgelyke programme in hul eie lande ontwikkel. Van die meer onlangse deelnemers was geesdriftig oor die vooruitsig om gedagtes met kollegas te wissel. Diegene wat waarskynlik nie veel met die media te doen sou hê nie, het gesê hulle kon nou minstens by die werk aan gesprekke oor die media deelneem. Hoewel dit maar die eerste tree is om die gaping tussen gesondheidsberoepslui en joernaliste te oorbrug, slaag die WGO se opleiding in ‘n groot mate daarin om die frustrasies en verwikkeldhede van omgang met die media te oorkom. Mense in die gesondheidsberoepe wil graag kommunikeer omdat hulle hul teikenbevolking – die gewone mense – moet bereik. Opleiding en tussentrede kan hulle toerus om konstruktief met die media om te gaan ten einde gesondheidsboodskappe aan die publiek oor te dra. Hierdie opleidingsprogram kan aangepas word om in die behoeftes van wetenskaplikes in verskeie vakgebiede te voorsien.

A dissertation submitted in fulfilnent of the Requirements for the degree of D. Litt in Communication Science University of Zululand, 2002
In this study I looked at the issue of the Afrikaans language, which is most often approached from a position of strong vested interest, either in support or against it. This study was intended as an intellectual response to an intensely debated issue. It is a survey of scholarly and tendentious reporting regarding the status of Afrikaans and the other official languages of South Africa. As we move into the 21st century the .Afrikaans language has once more moved into a position of status, not for ideological purposes but for practical communication. Previously it was associated with the struggle for survival, and with an image of kitchen patios. As it takes its rightful place in our multilingual country, one in which the playing fields are levelled for all indigenous languages, major processes in society will determine its future and to what extent Afrikaans would function as an African language. For this to happen the language has to create a survival niche for itself, on behalf of the other nine indigenous languages. As one of the official languages it needs to create a space beyond hegemony and social legislation. By ensuring that it is always 'ahead and to the side' (rather than "on the side') of English and the other nine languages, the Afrikaans language will experience a growth phase continuing to interrogate its own traditions where people are empowered to use the language of their choice. The Afrikaans language must not be continually punished for its perceived complicity in apartheid politics but should be protected and advanced with an overarching structure of multilingualism. The downgrading of Afrikaans has not affected the language adversely; on the contrary it has triggered stronger support from influential persons and the rest of the population. It has found a new identity and status alongside the other ten official languages. Each of these languages should be encouraged to flourish with political will and patience. Afrikaans has a significant role to play in the 'African Renaissance' and remain an important language of all South Africans. Its role as a South African language can be redefined in terms of the constitution. In the words of President Thabo Mbeki, "when the sun rises, it must show a rebirth of South Africa, driven by the enormous talents of all our people, and made possible by the knowledge and realisation that we share a common destiny.
National Research Foundation (NRF)

Thesis (MPhil (Information Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.
Mobile telephone subscription in developing countries has increased by more than 500 percent since 2005, with Africa experiencing the highest growth rate globally. Amongst Africa’s 306.5 million subscribers, recorded in 2008, an unexpectedly high adoption rate of the technology by poor, often illiterate rural communities is observed. Mobile telephony generally provides African rural users access to electronic communication for the first time. Providing access to communication, information and knowledge, mobile phones present a platform for economic and social interaction in rural Africa. The extent of the resulting positive socio-economic impact on the developing world has lead to mobile telephony increasingly being viewed as a potential development tool for the socio-economic upliftment of the rural poor. This thesis is inspired by the potential for value creation to end users of mobile telephony, leading to the proposition that the rapid expansion of mobile telephony in rural Africa can contribute significantly to the sustainability of these communities’ rural livelihoods. For this proposition to be valid, mobile telephony has to provide value beyond being communication tool. It has to provide value in income generating activities by increasing opportunities for access to financial and social capital with mobile business models appropriate to the rural African context. To assess the appropriateness of mobile value offerings, the rural African context was analyzed using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework. Through multi-level analysis, the challenges and issues that influence the lives of the rural poor were explored and the dominant livelihood strategies in terms of income generating activities were identified. Apart from agricultural income streams, waged labor, migration and micro-entrepreneurial activities provide non-agricultural income streams. Creating an appropriate mobile business ecosystem for rural Africa requires the collaboration of a complex network of actors within a value constellation to co-produce value for the end users. Three conditional factors were identified for mobile telephony and emerging mobile business models to contribute successfully to sustainable livelihoods: adaptation of the technology by providers, user appropriation to make the technology their own and the assimilation of it into their livelihood strategies. These factors were researched for validation through the study of existing literature and reported case studies. It was found that these three conditional factors were unequivocally met. Firstly, the mobile telecommunication industry active in Africa is seen to successfully adapt and innovate solutions that are relevant to African rural communities’ vulnerabilities and livelihood strategies. Secondly, African mobile phone users have successfully adopted and appropriated mobile telephony to create value for themselves in their livelihood strategies, often independent of external interventions. They are claiming ownership of the technology and not merely using it as a communication tool. Thirdly, by assimilating mobile telephony into their livelihood strategies, value-creation within their income generating activities have been made possible. This value creation is impacting users’ social and financial capital positively. This thesis concludes that mobile telephony and emerging mobile business models are contributing to increasing African rural dwellers’ income generating potential, reducing their vulnerability to shocks, and providing them with a voice; thereby contributing to sustainable rural livelihoods.

This thesis is a theoretical examination intended to lead the reader in a process of deeper and subjective understanding of culture through the medium of dance. The literature review avails the reader with meaningful foundation work and theories that are weaved together to propose a framework for observing dance movement with a more intercultural set of lenses. This thesis focuses particularly on three intersections: dance as a form of expression and nonverbal communication, dance as embodiment of culture, and dance as a reflection of cultural identity. A useful outcome of this study is a sequential set of tools suggested as a structure useful to gather and analyze data and to conduct further research.

Cette dissertation doctorale entend contribuer au renouveau des sciences de l’information et de la communication (SIC) et plus particulièrement de la construction du « public » dans un contexte caractérisé par une remise en question des savoirs théoriques et méthodologiques associée à l’émergence d’internet.

Cette problématique est développée en trois temps. Dans un premier temps, nous effectuons une synthèse des constructions du public dans la recherche sur les médias classiques. Les multiples « publics » repérés dans la littérature scientifique en information et communication (infocom) sont organisés à deux niveaux. D’une part, nous distinguons les constructions du public comme « acteur collectif » et comme « acteur assistant ». D’autre part, à un niveau plus fin d’analyse, les concepts de public comme « groupe » et comme « collectivité » permettent de distinguer deux types de public comme « acteur collectif » tandis que les concepts de public comme « récepteur » et comme « coproducteur » renvoient à deux catégories différentes de public comme « acteur assistant ».

Dans un deuxième temps, nous examinons plusieurs ajustements des constructions du public apportés (ou à apporter) par la recherche en infocom à propos d’internet. En ce qui concerne la construction du public comme « groupe », celle-ci recouvre désormais une grande variété de groupes dont les processus de communication interne deviennent un objet d’étude à part entière. De plus, la construction comme « public exposé » (une catégorie de public comme « récepteur ») s’articule à la problématique de l’accès aux informations. Enfin, la construction du public comme « coproducteur » voit son champ d’application considérablement élargi.

Dans un troisième et dernier temps, nous réalisons une méta-analyse de la construction du public d’internet. Le corpus est composé de 186 articles issus de six revues scientifiques en infocom. Les variables examinées sont :l’origine culturelle des auteurs, l’orientation éditoriale des revues, les thématiques de recherche, les constructions du public, les constructions d’internet et les méthodes de recherche. Les résultats révèlent notamment que les ajustements nécessaires des constructions du public sont peu représentés dans le corpus. Si la construction comme « groupe » est plus fréquente que la construction comme « collectivité », la première est toutefois concentrée dans deux revues et semble peu diversifiée. De plus, le public comme « coproducteur » est rarement étudié alors qu’internet facilite la participation à la production des messages et favorise l’appropriation des contenus.

Par ailleurs, la construction du public d’internet est culturellement marquée :les chercheurs européens le construisent plutôt comme « acteur collectif » tandis que les chercheurs américains privilégient la construction comme « acteur assistant ». De plus, les constructions du public ne sont pas associées aux mêmes constructions d’internet :le public comme « acteur collectif » est associé à une construction d’internet comme « medium » tandis que le public comme « acteur assistant » est associé à une construction d’internet comme « support », « média » ou « contenu ». Enfin, les constructions du public d’internet donnent lieu à des méthodes de recherche distinctes, le public comme « acteur collectif » étant articulé aux méthodes qualitatives et le public comme « acteur assistant » aux méthodes quantitatives. /

This doctoral thesis aims to contribute to the revival of the information and communication sciences (ICS) whose theoretical and methodological tools are being called into question by the emergence of information and communication technologies. This study focuses on the construction of the “audience” in the age of internet and develops this issue through three chapters.

The first chapter synthesizes the constructions of the audience in the research on traditional media. The numerous “audiences” identified in scientific literature from ICS are organized at two levels. On the one hand, we distinguish the audience as “collective actor” from the audience as “attending actor”. On the other hand, and more precisely, the “group” and the “collectivity” are considered two different kinds of audience as “collective actor” while the construction of the audience as “attending actor” is broken up into two constructions: the “receiver” and the “co-producer”.

The second chapter discusses (some of) the alterations to the constructions of the audience that ICS have made (or should make) because of the properties of the internet. With regard to the audience as “group”, it covers henceforth a wide range of groups whose internal communication processes become an object of study. Moreover, the construction of the audience as “exposed audience” (a category of audience as “receiver”) is linked up with the issue of information access and the construction of audience as “co-producer” sees its sphere of validity considerably enlarged.

The third and last chapter develops a meta-analysis of the construction of the internet audience. The corpus is composed of 186 articles published in six scientific journals from ICS. The variables examined are: the cultural origin of the authors, the editorial influence of the journals, the research subjects, the constructions of the audience, the constructions of internet and the research methods. Among other results, it appears that the “new” constructions of the audience are not much studied in the corpus. The construction as “group” is more frequently encountered than the construction as “collectivity” but is restricted to two journals and is little diversified. Moreover, the audience as “co-producer” is rarely constructed whereas internet facilitates the participation in message production and the appropriation of contents. Furthermore, the construction of the internet audience is a culturally defined process: European researchers rather construct the internet audience as “collective actor” while American researchers tend towards a construction of the internet audience as “attending actor”. Those constructions are associated with different constructions of internet: the audience as “collective actor” is linked up with the construction of internet as “medium” while the audience as “attending actor” is associated with the constructions of internet as “device”, “channel” or “content”. Finally, the constructions of the internet audience are methodologically different: the audience as “collective actor” is studied through qualitative methods while the audience as “attending actor” tends towards quantitative methods.

Doctorat en philosophie et lettres, Orientation information
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Recherche sur l'imaginaire de la société comme corps. Le point de départ est la théologie politique médiévale. Malgré les différences de fondation (non plus religieuse mais séculière), l'imaginaire théologique médiéval de la société comme corps s'est retrouvé dans la pensée politique moderne, à travers notamment les doctrines de la souveraineté et de la représentations (J. Bodin, J.-J. Rousseau, T. Hobbes). Qu’implique sur le plan de la représentation politique la métaphore corporelle ?Cette représentation implique notamment la difficulté à penser la supranationalité (la métaphore corporelle a servi – et sert encore – à penser les Etats dans le cadre de la Nation). Quelles sont les conditions de la dilution de l'hypostase de la société comme corps ?La nécessité est posée de passer à un paradigme de l'intersubjectivité et de la communication. Une attention particulière est accordée à une approche sémiotique de la communication à travers les icônes et les indices (et non uniquement les symboles).
Doctorat en sciences sociales, Orientation sociologie
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Bachelors
Arts and Sciences
Psychology

Cette thèse se propose d'étudier l'éthique en tant que phénomène de communication, dans la mesure où elle fait l'objet de discours médiatiques ou institutionnels et génère des débats qui s'exercent dans différentes sphères de la société. Les médiations (institutionnelles et individuelles) qui participent à l'élaboration de ce processus sont étudiées à partir d'une approche combinant l'analyse des discours médiatiques de presse à propos des greffes d'organes et l'observation des pratiques de communication du Comité consultatif national d'éthique. Cette approche s'inscrit dans un courant de recherche des Sciences de l'information et de la communication qui cherche à comprendre les mécanismes complexes des rapports entre la science et la société. L'analyse présentée fait apparaître le rôle de lien que revêt l'éthique entre des individus et des collectifs à diiférents niveaux du social, et notamment sa dimension symbolique. L'étude propose une comparaison entre le rôle de la vulgarisation scientifique et le rôle de l'éthique dans les rapports entre science et société
This thesis proposes to study ethics as a phenomenon of communication, insofar as it is the subject of media or institutional discourses and generates debates which are exerted in various spheres of society. The mediations (institutional and individual) which take part in the development of this process are studied starting from an approach combining the analysis of discourses of daily press about organ transplantations and the observation of the practices of communication of the French Consultative Committee of Ethics. This approach falls under a current of research of the Information sciences and communication which seeks to understand the complex mechanisms of the relations between sciences and society. The analysis presented reveals the rolr of ethics between individuals and collectives at different levels from social, and in particular its dimension symbolic system. The study proposes a comparison between the role of the scientific popularization and the role of ethics in the relationship between science and society

This study investigated the influences of the Japanese sense of ba on their patterns of perceiving the working environment and work-related human~relations in the U.S. social context. Ba in this study refers to the frame of relationships that is shared among the individuals in a certain specific situation. The goals of this heuristic qualitative study are: (I) to investigate whether Japanese working in the U.S. retain a sense of ba, (2) to examine how the sense of ba affects their perception of the problems that they face in dealing with work-related matters and relationships with their American colleagues, supervisors, and customers, and (3) to investigate whether and how ba functions as a facilitating factor in establishing collaborative relationships between Americans and Japanese in the workplace. To pursue these study goals, I conducted in-depth interviews with twelve Japanese working in the U.S. The interviews were conducted in the form of focused interview and the obtained data were analyzed in reference to the characteristics of ba stated in the literature review. The results indicated that the subjects retained and exercised their sense of ba in the - U.S. workplace context. The subjects' narratives also suggested that relationship building between Americans and Japanese based on the ba-principle was possible.

Conditioning theory and research have contributed substantially to a more complete understanding of a variety of social processes including attitude formation, consumer behavior, and interpersonal attraction. The goal of this thesis was to illuminate further another frequently investigated social process, voting behavior.

This study examines how culture, gender roles, and economics intersect at a contemporary Mexican-American wedding. Prior studies have focused on one factor but did not examine how all three can affect a wedding. The bride in this study tries to negotiate challenges between her Mexican-American culture and her American culture. This research is an example of how culture is en grained in everything and how it plays out through a wedding. This ethnography was done through first hand observations and interviews. The purpose of this study was to examine communication in a contemporary Mexican-American wedding and communication issues found at the intersection of gender, ethnicity, and culture. The research also examined how participants supported or broke traditional gender roles along with consequences.

This study analyzed headlines in three influential newspapers to assess how those publications exercised media social responsibility in reporting the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The situation posed the common media paradox where inherent news values encourage dramatic reports and escalation of conflict that, in tum, are criticized as irresponsible. The particular circumstances surrounding the SARS outbreak presented an opportunity for media social responsibility through public education and conveying perspective about risk from the disease. This study developed an analytical framework to evaluate the extent of fearful language, style of communication about risk of the disease, use of source material, and prevalence of journalistic normative behaviors. The analysis indicates that personal fear responses of journalists may influence the use of frightening language in news headlines. The study found that in early stages of reporting about the disease, journalists relied on overtly fearful language with little analysis or situational context. As the story became more familiar, even though the factual circumstances did not change, headlines revealed more efforts to communicate productively about risk and less use of explicit fearful terminology. However, most of the headlines demonstrated reliance on traditional news-gathering behaviors emphasizing conflict, controversy and human interest, rather than analysis and interpretation. Political controversy stemming from concerns about disease management by the Chinese government often prevailed over headlines representing socially responsible information about health protection or risk perspective. This study affirms the importance of media in public education during health crises. It also suggests journalists would benefit from better understanding risk communication principles and the influence of personal fear responses on their reporting. Additionally, the study demonstrates that the concept of media social responsibility deserves to be reconsidered in contemporary terms, to better guide both journalists and those charged with developing communication strategies during such circumstances.

This study investigated curricular methods to reduce communication apprehension among public speaking students. Previous research has found many intervention strategies to be successful in reducing levels of communication apprehension, including both visualization and cognitive restructuring. However, prior research has failed to examine the efficacy of such techniques within the context of teaching a public speaking course that has limited time to devote to these techniques. Consequently, an experiment was conducted which examined whether a one hour instructional unit using cognitive restructuring and visualization can reduce levels of communication apprehension among public speaking students. The results of the study indicate that a one hour instructional unit does not reduce the anxiety of high communication apprehensive students in a public speaking course.

Cette thèse a pour objet de promouvoir une linguistique interactionnelle au sein d'une approche pluridisciplinaire de la communication et de l'interaction verbale. Elle débute par un travail de réflexion sur les catégories de sujet et de social en examinant plus particulièrement les positions de l'interactionnisme symbolique, de l'ethnométhodologie et de la philosophie d'Habermas. Le concept d'espace interactif, propose pour fédérer des notions comme figuration, face, soi, relation, situation, renvoie à une pluralité d'images identitaires mise en oeuvre sumultanément par chacun des co-énonciateurs, jeu d'images exprimé en termes de rapports de places. Cette pluralité d'images identitaires correspond à la complexité du sujet, exprimée par Mead, et à l'hétérogénéité de toute instance énonciative. Le rapport de place dominant correspond au cadre interactif définitoire de l'interaction. Ces concepts conduisent à distinguer "interaction" et "rencontre" et permettent de développer, avec la notion de module, une nouvelle typologie des interactions fondée sur l'hétérogénéité et la coarticulation des types. Un bilan est également effectué à propos des analyses structurelles et hiérarchiques de l'interaction. Enfin, l'apport le plus spécifiquement linguistique consiste à prolonger les approches pragmatiques et énonciatives avec la notion d'activités discursives. La thèse s'achève avec un important travail sur les concepts exprimant ces diverses activités : référenciation, reprises, reformulations, implicites, implicitations, modalisations et modulations
This thesis aims at promoting an interactional approach to linguistics in relation to a multidisciplinary perspective on communication and verbal interaction. The thesis opens with a discussion of the categories of subject, of social relations and social fabric. The frame of analysis put forward by symbolic interactionalism, ethnomethodology and the german philosopher habermas are examined. The concept of interactive space is proposed as a means to relate the notions of face work, face, self, relation and situation. This concept describes the diversity of self images brought to play by each of the co-enunciators, these images being linked to the places occupied by the interactants and to the relationship that these places entertain. This diversity of self images refers to the complexity of the subject, as defined by mead, and to the heterogeneous nature of enunciator. The foremost among the place relations which hold between the interactants defines the frame of interaction. The concepts proposed allow a distinction between "interaction" and "encounter" and make possible, through the notion of module, a new typology of interactions. Structural and hierachical models interaction are also discussed. The specific linguistic contribution consist in elarging the pragmatic and enunciative approaches through the notion of discursive activities. The conceptual framework required to describe various discursive activities : referenciation, reprises, reformulations, presupposedness, implicatures, modulations, is examined in the last part of the thesis

This thesis explores how cultural differences manifest themselves in computermediated intercultural communication (CoMIC). This study particularly looks at the role and use of digital nonverbals (DNVs) and their regulatory functions. The data analyzed is from a global virtual team working together for a period of three months. The grounded theory method has been employed to code the electronic transcript of the team's communication. Furthermore, the participants were surveyed regarding their personal backgrounds, their work, and their perception of the communication processes that took place. The study shows that in an intercultural communication process DNVs are used to avoid intercultural misunderstandings and to underline the various communication styles. The different styles, hand in hand with the DNVs used, vary depending on the team's overall situation. However, the absence of DNVs can be an indicator for a state of crisis.

Guided by Uses and Gratifications Theory, this study investigated the relationship between Chinese college students' use of social media and their social activism. Data collected from a goup-administered survey of 309 undergraduate students at a large university in eastern China was used to answer four research questions. The results indicated that Chinese college students who used social media for information seeking were likely to participate in individual social activism. Besides, students who used social media for self-status seeking and information seeking were likely to participate in collective social activism. No significant correlation between entertainment motivation and social activism were found. Neither can socializing motivation predict Chinese college students' social activism. In addition, gender had an impact on individual social activism and frequency of social media use could affect both individual and collective social activism.

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of training on level of communicative functioning during normative discussion. The Communicative Functioning Scale-Moral Dilemmas (CFS-MD) was used to assess the differential effects of the training versus the control condition. The subjects for the study were university students from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Subjects were randomly assigned to either the experimental or the control group. All subjects were pre-tested on the Sociomoral Competence Scale-Moral Issues (SCS-MI) and the Sociomoral Competence Scale-Moral Dilemmas (SCS-MD). Subjects were then classified into two groups on the SCS-MD, the High Score Group and the Low Score Group, based on a median split. Because these subjects later participated in dyadic discussions over these same topics, the purpose of the split was to create a context for normative discussion, with each member of the dyad representing a different position on the dilemmas. Subjects in the experimental condition were then given a series of "take home" training exercises which were designed to teach communication skills important in conflict resolution. The control group was not involved in this phase of the project. After the subjects in the experimental condition finished the training exercises, the dyads were identified for the Discussion Phase of the project. One subject from the High Score Group and one subject from the Low Score Group were randomly paired. A ten-point minimum score difference criteria was an added restriction if a pair scored near the median. Subjects in both the experimental and the control condition were included in this phase of the project. The SCS-MD was the discussion stimulus. Subjects were instructed to try to reach an agreement on how to resolve the dilemmas during discussion. Discussions were videotaped and rated by the experimenter and one other rater. Discussions were rated for both the level of communicative functioning attained during the discussion phase and for the outcome of the discussions (i.e. , the type of resolution). Two weeks after the data from the discussions was collected, all subjects in both the experimental and the control condition were given a post-test on the SCS-MI and the SCS-MD. The two primary research hypotheses were: 1) the effects of the training phase on the level of communicative functioning during peer discussion involving normative conflict, and 2 ) the effects of group communicative functioning during peer discussion on changes in sociomoral knowledge and understanding. The results of the analyses indicated that there were significant differences on a number of the indices of communicative functioning, with the differences in the predicted direction. In addition, the results also provided some support for the hypothesis that subjects in the experimental training condition displayed greater short term change in sociomoral knowledge and understanding.

L’apparition du SMS, il y a déjà plusieurs années, a egendré des logiques d’adoption

différentes. Dès son premier usage, le SMS était vu par les compagnies de téléphonie mobile

comme un moyen de transmission d’informations utiles pour les adultes – l’évolution de la

Bourse, des informations sur la météo (Ling, 2001). Par son passage à l’adoption par les

jeunes dans les années 1995 et 1997 et jusqu’aujourd’hui, le SMS devient un phénomène qui

suscite des représentations diverses et des discours assez contradictoires, même virulents par

rapport à son appropriation par les jeunes. Si, dans l’espace francophone et anglophone, le

sujet du “langage SMS” est bien connu, constituant une figure récurrente des discours des

mass-médias et des enseignants qui sortent en évidence les effets négatifs sur les compétences

orthographiques des élèves, ailleurs, et notamment en Roumanie, les discours des massmédias

constatent l’existence du phénomène, sans mettre en évidence les aspects négatifs, s’il

en existe. Un autre registre est celui de l’espace soi-disant virtuel, où des sites Internet relèvent les divers usages du SMS dans le monde3, dans le cadre des diverses industries (le politique4, les

services publics5, le divertissement6). Hors de ces présences qui attestent l’explosion de la

communication par l’intermédiaire du SMS, il existe aussi, par exemple, des concours de

poésie par SMS: leur enjeu est de voir comment la créativité individuelle peut être compactée

en 160 caractères, en résultant un possible mélange entre le hai-ku et cette technologie de

dernière génération. Le SMS, dont on décriera l’évolution plus tard, dépasse ainsi ses

fonctions primaires de communication et de socialisation, en devenant un milieu de créativité

et d’innovation artistique.La vie quotidienne est aussi un domaine où le SMS est très visible et qui détermine la création d’une représentation collective qui attribuerait le SMS aux jeunes à part d’autre type de public. Constamment, autour de soi, on peut voir des jeunes utilisant le téléphone mobile pour envoyer des messages. La scène déjà évoquée, issue de mes observations

ethnographiques, en est particulièrement illustrative. Toutes ces contextes donnent une présence active de l’usage du SMS. A chaque

contexte, un discours spécifique. Cette diversité contextuelle et discursive incontestable a

constitué une première raison d’approfondir le sujet du SMS. Alors, la question fondamentale surgit :comment peut-on traiter d’un tel sujet ?Quelle est la « bonne » voie interprétative ?Nous nous proposons de relier deux aspects, la

communication et les usages, ce qui nous semble essentiel pour la construction de l’objet du

SMS. Il s’agit donc d’étudier les discours caractéristiques de la culture des jeunes, sur le plan des pratiques comme des représentations, en mettant un accent particulier sur leur façon de

construire des stratégies pour surmonter les contraintes imposées par l’objet technique (le

SMS présente en fait des caractéristiques linguistiques liées aux spécificités du support

technique) mais aussi sur leur façon de « se mettre en scène » dans les SMS. Nous verrons

ainsi en quoi il y a une prise en compte des règles du groupe de pairs dans la culture

adolescente, en même temps qu’une élaboration de stratégies de distanciation. C’est la

démarche spécifique à l’anthropologie de la communication. On pourrait aborder le SMS en mobilisant les approches de réseau, dans des termes de fonctionnabilité du réseau, de rôles de chaque acteur qui y participe et du principe du pouvoir qui leur serait intrinsèque (Latour 1991) :le message reçu par le jeune légitime la bonne

fonctionnalité du réseau, dont les autres jeunes font partie, ainsi que leurs positions à

l’intérieur du réseau social. Le fait d’avoir partagé le SMS est un signe de pouvoir symbolique

envers les autres. Ces approches omettent cependant un aspect que nous considérons comme

important, à savoir le caractère ludique, que ce soit le ludique intrinsèque du message

(exprimé par un contenu amusant, une blague, un ragot, etc.) ou le ludique extérieur du

message (exprimé par l’acte d’envoyer un message, qui surmonte l’ennui temporel).

J’argumenterai que le ludique est le facteur qui explique le grand succès du SMS et de sa

consolidation auprès des jeunes.

Par rapport à la constitution de l’anthropologie comme discipline, les études

anthropologiques de nouvelles technologies informationnelles et communicationnelles

(NTIC) sont apparues très récemment, au cours des années 1990 du dernier siècle. S’agissant

d’un groupe assez réduit de chercheurs qui, en plus, ne connaissaient pas les travaux de leurs

pairs, les études initiales étaient plutôt descriptives et empiriques ;le SMS y était présenté en tant qu’une réalité « exotique ». Son « exotisme » a penché sur le discours anthropologique assez longtemps, jusqu’à la fin des années 1990, quand l’anthropologie fait son bilan et elle découvre que la période des études descriptives doit finir et commencer l’étape de

problématisation. Ainsi, les anthropologues se ciblent sur le rapport entre le nouveau et

l’ancien dans la communication médiatisée par NTIC, commencent à rechercher dans le passé

des usages similaires, pour construire une théorie des nouveaux modèles communicationnels.

L’anthropologie de la communication du fin des années 1990 et le début des 20008

s’éloigne de la sociologie par sa démarche diachronique et comparative. L’usage est remplacé

par le concepte de la pratique (ce qui impliquait une interprétation des usages dans leur

dynamique). Par la suite, la perspective synchronique laisse la place à une démarche

diachronique, les anthropologues décrivant la façon dont les pratiques communicationnelles

d’un certain médium prennent des nouvelles significations, en fonction de contexte et des

individus. Si la sociologie réalisait des comparaisons entre les usages des divers NTIC dans le même contexte temporel, l’anthropologie de la communication emploie la méthode

comparatiste au niveau diachronique aussi. L’ancien et le nouveau dans la communication

médiatisée par NTIC constituent la cible scientifique des anthropologues. Cette focalisation est importante aussi pour la spécialisation de l’objet de la recherche ;son évolution poursuit le schème suivant en anthropologie de la communication :NTIC → type d’objet électronique (téléphone mobile, ordinateur, tam-tam etc) → une fonctionnalité de l’objet technologique qui connaît des développement surprenants (SMS, vidéo-appel, MMS, chat, Instant Messenger,Facebook, MySpace etc). On passe de la « computer mediated communication » aux pratiques communicationnelles spécifiques à chaque fonctionnalité, de singulier au pluriel.

Il n’est resté que peu de temps jusqu’à ce que l’objet technologique devienne sujet des

interrogations dans la culture matérielle. De date très récente, dans l’espace anglo-saxon9 et

francophone10, ces études mettent dans le centre de leur analyse la relation entre l’individu et

l’objet technologique, donc la consommation. Les rapports entre les deux instances de la

relation décrivent deux directions de l’action :l’incorporation de l’objet (l’objet agit sur

l’individu) et l’excorporation de l’objet (l’individu agit sur l’objet). Cette relation est vue dans ces concrétisations en divers lieux du monde, les anthropologues présentant une localisation des pratiques et des représentations d’un certain objet technologique. La culture matérielle reprend la dimension synchronique d’un objet technologique (les usages en divers contextes)dans le cadre plus large diachronique, segmenté en fonction des étapes d’appropriation :

l’adoption, la création de l’utilité, la consolidation des usages. Cette trajectoire de l’objet décrit une démarche paradigmatique, dont chaque étape est construite par les pratiques et les représentations créées par les usagers. Le processus d’appropriation est donc le cadre

théorique plus large dans lequel les anthropologues intègrent les conceptes de la sociologie et de l’anthropologie communicationnelle. Influencée par la sémiotique, la culture matérielle décrit, donc, les significations complexes de la relation entre l’individu et l’objet technologique (que nous allons décrire en détail dans le premier chapitre de la thèse). On comprend assez facilement pourquoi le téléphone mobile est un objet technologique soumis au processus d’appropriation, mais pourrait-on dire que le SMS est un objet de consommation ?

Gérald Gaglio ainsi l’interprète :« Ce tour d'horizon a permis d'identifier les étapes de la

diffusion d'une nouvelle pratique sociale liée à un support technique, le SMS. Elle apparaît

suite à une ruse qui consiste à contourner le coût de l'appel téléphonique et profite d'un effet

de réseau. Elle s'enrichit de la création d'un univers de sens puis interpelle par l'action d'une "

minorité active " constituée par les adolescents. Elle sort enfin de son contexte de création

9 Heather Horst et Daniel Miller 2006, The cell phone: An Anthropology of communication, Berg. In press,

Oxford.

10 Bernard Blandin 2002, La construction du social par les objets, Presses Universitaires de France, Paris.

11

puisqu'elle est appropriée par d'autres populations qui élargissent les types de contenus

transmis. »11

Dominique Desjeux partage la même opinion quand elle compare la diffusion du SMS

en Chine, France et Pologne: « In the field of telephony, mobile or fixed, and more generally

in that of electronic information technologies, SMS is an interesting example of the spread of

an innovation because it has occurred without the need for any special marketing action. Its

spread has been spontaneous except in Poland where the later arrival of SMS meant that it

was immediately associated with uses of mobile phones. Hence, its success is linked to

invisible uses and associations that existed potentially in society before the expansion of

SMS. It is interesting to review these in order to understand at least partially the logic

underlying the spread of future innovations. Hence the purpose of this article is to show the

invisible uses that have been gradually revealed by surveys on SMS practices, especially

qualitative ones and mostly on a micro-social scale, carried out in France (partly under my

direction) by Catherine Lejealle (2003), in Poland by Malgorzata Kamieniczna (2004) and in

China by Anne Sophie Boisard (2004). Another aim is to show the shared or singular

practices of the three cultures analysed. The social uses of SMS in the world fit into a

dynamic that is constantly evolving among users, from the youngest to the oldest, and are

based on a written expression that constantly invents new codes or forms of the written

language. »12

Les deux chercheurs se situent en continuité avec notre grille d’analyse ;tous les deux

reconnaissent l’émergence du SMS dans des pays différents, dans le cadre des sous-cultures

délimitées par l’âge. G. Gaglio et D. Desjeux voient dans la pratique du SMS un exemple de

détournement du préscrit, déterminé par la capacité des usagers d’innover. Influencés par la

thèorie de Norbert Alter sur l’innovation ordinaire13, les deux anthropologues, à la suite d’une

démarche comparative entre plusieurs espaces, considèrent que le SMS est un objet de

consommation. Ses développements différents, les pratiques changeantes, expression d’une

créativité individuelle et collective, font que le SMS accomplisse « les conditions » pour être

considéré un objet soumis au processus complexe de la consommation.

11 Gérald Gaglio, 2005, “La pratique du SMS en France: analyse d'un comportement de consommation in tant

que phénomène social”, Paris, Consommations et société n°4, electronic journal, www.argonautes.fr

12 Dominique Desjeux ,2005, „SMS uses and issues in China, France and Poland”, Paris, Consommations et

société n°4, electronic journal, www.argonautes.fr.

13 Norbert Alter, 2000, L'innovation ordinaire, Paris, PUF.

12

Cette façon d’aborder le SMS est celle que nous suivrons aussi ;quand même,

l’explication de l’émergence du SMS ne nous suffit pas. Considérer l’explosion du SMS

comme ayant ses racines que dans la capacité créative des usagers (les innovateurs ordinaires)

nous semble une explication un peu aride, qui laisse à coté les conditions du contexte qui ont

fait que le détournement se réalise. Et, en plus, en quoi consiste-t-elle, cette capacité créative ?

Suffit-il de le nommer pour expliquer tout un phénomène ?Quels sont donc les ressorts

intérieurs du passage de « manières de faire » aux « arts de faire »14 ?

Ces sont des questionnements qui font de SMS un objet qui peut être soumis à une

interrogation scientifique et à tout un travail de terrain.
Doctorat en Sciences politiques et sociales
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This study examines politics disadvantages used in competitive policy debate. Specifically, this research examines politics disadvantages for their role and relevance in deliberation, an important form of political communication. Deliberation is the means by which citizens can engage in discussions of salient policy issues, and make political judgments about policies. This study developed a grounded theory about the type of deliberation manifest in politics disadvantages. Pre-constructed politics disadvantages from websites such as PlanetDebate.com, Cross-X.com, as well as from summer policy debate workshops were analyzed to develop a grounded theory. Through the process of coding and theoretical memoing, categories of political communication emerged from the disadvantage shells. The theory indicated that politics disadvantages develop an acontextual, narrowly adversarial view of deliberation. This theory was juxtaposed against already established theories of deliberation to reveal that politics disadvantages show serious deficiencies in the ways in which deliberation is taught to policy debaters.

Il est patent que les objets de design, en particulier les objets d’ameublement que sont les chaises, exercent un rôle social dans l’espace privé et public, mais ils peuvent aussi fonctionner symboliquement et produire une expérience esthétique. Cette thèse mène une réfl exion critique sur le rôle du design à partir de bases pragmatiques. Ainsi que le suggère Nelson Goodman dans Manières de faire de mondes, les œuvres d’art sont loin d’être les seules choses qui symbolisent. Notre travail consiste à montrer que les chaises, en tant qu’objets de design peuvent aussi fonctionner communicationnellement. Ayant constitué un corpus de 11 types de chaises selon deux critères caractéristiques du mode d’évaluation et de qualifi cation des œuvres de design ‒ l’innovation et la diff usion ‒, nous analysons les chaises comme des natures mortes, en tant qu’objets isolés. Et c’est pour mieux montrer ensuite la relation intime existant entre le corps d’un usager et la chaise qui devient alors un objet vivant, riche de cette relation
It is clear that objects of design, especially design furniture in the case of chairs, not only fulfi ll a social function in both the private and public spheres, but they can also take on a symbolic role and produce an aesthetic experience. Based in pragmatic thinking, the present thesis aims to develop a critical line of questioning for studying the role played by design. As Nelson Goodman claims in his Ways of Worldmaking, works of art are not the only things that can symbolise. Our goal consists in showing that, insofar as they are objects of design, chairs also function communicatively. Drawing from a corpus of eleven diff erent types of chairs, put together according to two characteristic criteria related to the evaluation and description of works of design – i.e. innovation and distribution – we fi rst analyse chairs in terms of still life, that is to say, as isolated objects. This preliminary analysis allows us to underscore, in a subsequent move, the intimate relationship that prevails between the user’s body and a chair, which now becomes a living object, one that is enriched by this very relationship

In Kuwait, an increase in the use of social media by the Kuwait National Assembly (KNA) has allowed it members to reach out to the public and so advance their political agenda. This study examines social media influences on the decision making process; addresses the lack of academic research in relation to KNA members; and seeks to understand the extent to which public political engagement using social media might affect the outcome of their decision making. The proposed social media influence model (SMIM) was used to explore the relationships and relative importance of variables influencing legislator decision making in a social media environment. The second decade of the twenty-first century saw a number of major issues emerging in Kuwait. A core mixed method design known as explanatory sequential was applied to multiple sets of data generated during KNA members' 14th (2013-2016) and 15th (2016-2018) terms. These data included Twitter messages (tweets), the KNA Information Center Parliamentary Information System legislation documents, and the news media articles. The sample was drawn from KNA membership, some of which used Twitter to comment on major events with specific hashtags and the Kuwaiti news media articles related to the same. Study results confirm and support the proposed SMIM. They also suggest that a single person or a group of individuals (in this case, legislators) can be influenced and motivated to use social media for self-promotion and/or advancing their political agenda. Consequently, they can be used to devise ways for improving the use of social media by KNA members in support of legislative work, which in turn will provide citizens with access to real-time information and enhanced political interaction.

The study examined the ability to learn values while watching sports programming on television. Sports are seen as a huge influence in our lives and helping to spread that influence and bring the games right to our living rooms is television. A total of 360 surveys were collected from three universities, one in the West, one in the Midwest, and one in the South. What was found was there is a direct connection between the exposures to the values seen in sports to the evaluation of those values in our society, which led to individual acceptance of the values personally. It was found that almost half of the viewing by respondents of television was watching sports. By watching these events, respondents were able to see these values first-hand and then personally accept them into their own values.

This study examines the news media's construction of protests. Previous research has found that the news media demonizes and marginalizes protests. Protesters are framed in a highly negative fashion and primarily categorized as "violent." This study employed focus groups, agenda setting and framing theories to analyze this phenomenon. Previous research has been primarily quantitative in nature and thus qualitative research will provide a more in-depth understanding of this phenomenon. This study supports the findings of prior research but offers new insights. The implications of this study suggests that the news media can influence what people think about and how they think about it. Additionally, the news media frame protesters in a negative manner. Protesters are framed as violent and deviant. This negative framing both helps and hurts the protesters' cause. Lastly, this study found the news media to maintain the status quo in this society

De nos jours, les réseaux sociaux numériques sont devenus des outils de communication incontournables. Chaque jour des dizaines de nouveaux réseaux se créent, des chroniques à la radio leurs sont consacrées, sans parler des livres, des émissions télévisuelles ou les articles de presse. Cette ascension rapide de cet outil communicationnel à usages multiples, suscite l'intérêt de la part d'acteurs provenant des différentes sphères (publique, politique,...) Dispositif sociotechnique, les RSN de par leur facilité d'utilisation et de mise en oeuvre, se sont imposés comme un support favorisant l'échange, le partage (de photos, de vidéos, de liens), l'interaction et la diffusion d'informations de tout ordre. Dans sa première, cette thèse fait l'objet d'une mise en perspective historique de l'emploi de la notion du " réseau ", " réseau social " et des " réseaux sociaux numériques ". Nous verrons que ces termes révèlent des détours d'usages à travers le temps. De plus, nous décrivons les réseaux sociaux numériques par rapport à d'autres possibilités du web 2.0. A partir d'approches philosophiques et théoriques, la deuxième partie tente la construction d'un modèle théorique d'analyse qui prend comme dimension fondamentale l'homme et la technique. Ensuite l'analyse du matériel de recherche dans une démarche empirique/descriptive et une approche exploratoire, permet d'une part, d'élaborer de nouvelles typologies et catégories de réseaux sociaux numériques, et d'autre part, de construire des cartographies des différentes controverses qui entourent cet objet communicationnel complexe.

La société de l’information déstabilise-t-elle l’Etat-Nation ?

Analyse comparative du développement des nouvelles technologies de l’information et de la communication dans l’âge de la mondialisation

Partant du constat que le concept “Société de l’Information” est souvent utilisé dans des contextes et des situations très différents, qui ne présentent guère de traits communs, ce travail abouti à une interprétation de ce concept, qui permette de la redimensionner au lieu d’en faire un mythe, comme cela arrive trop souvent. La “Société de l’Information”, malgré son rôle innovant et unificateur qui outrepasse même les barrières étatiques, est confrontée au poids de l’Etat-Nation dans sa conception la plus restrictive.

Nous considérons cette analyse comme une réflexion nécessaire dans une période où le défi technologique est particulièrement chargé d’un rôle politique.
Doctorat en sciences politiques
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES
Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo - PUCSP
This research seeks to understand which are the different enunciative strategies and the regimes of meaning and interaction of scientific communication brazilian channels on online videos - especially on YouTube s platform - as a way to cultivate the taste for science. Therefore, we aim: investigate the constructed senses and ways of presence of scientific communication destinators in the selected digital environment; observe and question the scientific communication terminology; identify enunciation marks that indicate doings shaped by metadestinator YouTube; discuss what leads a certain statement to be credible; debate the scientific communication as an approximation between scientific field and common sense. lt is recognized the relevance of scientific field in contemporary society and the role of scientific communication in dissemination of complex science. Hypotheses to be tested are: YouTube enables multiplicate audiovisual productions about scientific knowledge; scientific communication channels make the taste for science an object of value in the approximation between scientific knowledge and common sense; interactions promoted in this platform provide feedback on the part of the destinee, revealing their simulacra. The object of study consists in channels with scientific content, whose posting is regular, recent and original. A mapping is accomplished of the productions by search and data survey, resulting in an overview of current brazilian productions whose division was made in four categories relating degree of audiovisual production and formal specialization in science. They are: Beginner, Professional Producer, Certificated Specialist and lnitiated. The corpus channels, chosen respectively from each category, are: Alimente o Cerebro, Manual do Mundo, Canal do Pirula and Nerdologia. The theoretical current of French semiotics of Algirdas J. Greimas and his followers, based on the generative course of meaning, will ground the analysis of enunciation in each syncretic text, as well as the meaning and interaction regimes according to Eric Landowski. Regarding the science notion, the main authors are Thomas Kuhn and Edgar Morin and, to discuss scientific communication definition, Wilson Bueno, Carlos Vogt and Bruce Lewestein. ln meaning and interaction regimes, it is possible to see how destinators use strategic narratives to impel the construction of meaning along the destinee in order to accentuate the taste for science as an object of value
A seguinte pesquisa busca compreender quais as diferentes estrategias enunciativas e os regimes de sentido e de interagao dos canais brasileiros de divulgagao cientffica em vfdeos online - especificamente na plataforma YouTube - como modo de cultivo do gosto pela ciencia. Para tanto, objetiva-se: investigar os sentidos construfdos e os modos de presenga dos destinadores de divulgagao cientffica no ambiente digital selecionado; observar e questionar a terminologia da divulgagao cientffica; identificar as marcas de enunciagao que indicam fazeres moldados pelo metadestinador YouTube; discutir o que leva certo enunciado a ser crfvel; debater a divulgagao da ciencia na aproximagao do campo cientffico com o senso comum. Reconhece-se a relevancia do campo do conhecimento cientffico na sociedade contemporanea e o papel da divulgagao cientffica na comunicagao da ciencia complexa. As hip6teses a serem testadas sao: o YouTube possibilita a multiplicagao de produg6es audiovisuais sobre o conhecimento cientffico; os canais de divulgagao cientffica fazem do gosto pela ciencia um objeto de valor na aproximagao entre conhecimento cientffico e senso comum; as interag6es promovidas nessa plataforma proporcionam uma retroalimentagao por parte do destinatario, desvelando seus simulacros. 0 objeto de estudo e composto por canais com conteudo de teor cientffico, cuja postagem dos vfdeos e regular, recente e original. Realiza-se um mapeamento das produg6es da plataforma por procura e levantamento de dados, resultando em um panorama das atuais produg6es brasileiras cuja divisao foi feita em quatro categorias relacionando o grau de produgao audiovisual e a especializagao formal em ciencia. Sao elas: lniciante, Produtor profissional, Especialista titulado e lniciado. 0s canais do corpus, elegidos respectivamente de cada categoria, sao: Alimente o Cerebro, Manual do Mundo, Canal do Pirula e Nerdologia. A corrente te6rica da semi6tica francesa de Algirdas J. Greimas e seus seguidores, a partir do percurso gerativo de sentido, fundamentara o exame da enunciagao de cada texto sincretico, assim como os regimes de sentido e de interagao segundo Eric Landowski. Para a nogao de ciencia, os principais autores sao Thomas Kuhn e Edgar Morin e, para debater a definigao de divulgagao cientffica, Wilson Bueno, Carlos Vogt e Bruce Lewestein. Em diferentes regimes de sentido e de interagao, verifica-se como os destinadores langam mao de narrativas estrategicas para impelir a construgao de sentido conjuntamente com o destinatario a fim de acentuar o gosto pela ciencia enquanto objeto de valor

Neste trabalho, buscou-se analisar o envolvimento argumentativo de estudantes em sala de aula, com o desenvolvimento de proposta educacional envolvendo questões sociocientíficas. Essa proposta foi composta por atividades educacionais que abordavam dimensões científicas, tecnológicas, políticas, econômicas, sociais e ambientais no processo de geração de energia elétrica, considerando as relações entre Ciência, Tecnologia, Sociedade e Ambiente. Ao longo da pesquisa, procurou-se desenvolver o processo pedagógico considerando as seguintes questões: 1) Quais as características das interações discursivas desenvolvidas pelos alunos com abordagem de questões sociocientíficas em sala de aula? 2) Quais as possibilidades de alfabetização científica, de uma formação para o entendimento e acordo com o envolvimento dos alunos em situações de argumentação e problematização do conhecimento científico? Esta proposta possui fundamentos teóricos na Teoria do Agir Comunicativo de Jürgen Habermas, que concebe na linguagem um potencial para formação e emancipação do sujeito. Envolve também uma concepção de alfabetização científica para o entendimento e acordo e para o exercício da cidadania e questões sociocientíficas, associadas à argumentação. Os sujeitos participantes foram alunos de 9º ano na disciplina de Ciências em um colégio estadual paranaense, em 2015. Os dados foram constituídos por meio de gravações em áudio e vídeo, registros em diário de campo e trabalhos elaborados pelos alunos. Em seguida foram analisadas as interações discursivas por meio de uma abordagem metodológica de análise de conteúdo construída a partir do referencial teórico da Teoria do Agir Comunicativo. A análise desses dados permite destacar possibilidades de alfabetização científica, considerando a apropriação de conhecimentos científicos e o envolvimento em argumentação e proposições de alternativas a questões envolvendo as relações entre Ciência, Tecnologia, Sociedade e Ambiente. Entretanto, os resultados obtidos também apontam dificuldades na prática educacional em Ciências, para abordagem de questões sociocientíficas com o envolvimento comunicativo dos alunos; indicam a necessidade de um planejamento educacional que estimule e potencialize a interação comunicativa, para a formação de discentes e docentes.
In this work, sought to analyze the argumentative involvement of studenst in the classroon, with the development of educational proposal involving sócio-scientific issues. This proposal was constituted by educational activities that addressed dimensions of scientific, technological, political, economic, social and environmental in the electricity generation process, considering the relationship between Science, Technology, Society and Environment. During the research, sougth to develop the educational process considering the following questions: 1) What are the characteristics of discursive interactions developed by students with socio-scientific issues approach in the classroom? 2) What are the scientific literacy of possibilities formation for understanding and agreement with the involvement of students in argumentation situations and questioning of scientific knowledge? This proposal has its fundamentals in the assumptions of the Theory of Communicative Action by Jürgen Habermas, which conceives the language a potential for formation and empowerment of the subject. It also involves a concept of the scientific literacy for understanding and agreement and the exercise of citizenship and socio-scientific issues associated with the argument. The subjects in the research were Sciences students in 9º grade in a public school in the state of Paraná in 2015. Data was constituted of audio and video records and written records in a field diary. Then analyzed the discursive interactions through an approach methodological of analysis content built from the theoretical framework of the Theory of Communicative Action. The data analysis allows to highliht opportunities scientific literacy, considering the appropriation of scientific knowledge and involvement alternative proposals to issues involving the relationship between Science, Technology, Society and Environment. However, the results also indicate difficulties in educational practice in Science to approach socio-scientific issues with the involvement communicative of students. Indicate the need for an educational planning that stimulate and leverage the communicative interaction for the formation of students and teachers.

This thesis analyzes how the news blogs Daily Kos and Power line construct news presented from an ideological viewpoint. Specifically the types of evidence used by the blogs to assert their viewpoints and their intended audiences were analyzed. This thesis utilized theory from Jean Francois Lyotard to explain how images and text were used by the blogs to legitimate their ideological narrative. Edwin Black's theory of second . ' persona was used to analyze the intended audience of the blogs. The ideology of the two blogs was described by the political spectrum developed by Barry Clark. The analysis of the two blogs found that both blogs utilized various sources to legitimize their narratives. The two blogs constructed news stories in stylistically similar manners. News constructed in this manner reinforces ideological viewpoints and manifests itself in a partisan electorate and partisan politicians unwilling to be flexible with their political positions. This inflexibility is not beneficial in a democracy that needs compromise in order to function.

This thesis analyzes how the news blogs Daily Kos and Power line construct news presented from an ideological viewpoint. Specifically the types of evidence used by the blogs to assert their viewpoints and their intended audiences were analyzed. This thesis utilized theory from Jean Francois Lyotard to explain how images and text were used by the blogs to legitimate their ideological narrative. Edwin Black's theory of second . ' persona was used to analyze the intended audience of the blogs. The ideology of the two blogs was described by the political spectrum developed by Barry Clark. The analysis of the two blogs found that both blogs utilized various sources to legitimize their narratives. The two blogs constructed news stories in stylistically similar manners. News constructed in this manner reinforces ideological viewpoints and manifests itself in a partisan electorate and partisan politicians unwilling to be flexible with their political positions. This inflexibility is not beneficial in a democracy that needs compromise in order to function.

This qualitative study explored the effects of intercultural differences on technology transfer interventions. More specifically, the emphasis was on key differences between the worldviews of change agents and clients that impact such change agentry attempts. Utilizing frameworks taken from intercultural relations, change agentry, and diffusion of innovations research, the study examined a single case of change agentry-the distribution of cookstoves to a rural community in Peru-in an attempt to answer the following question: How do intercultural differences help shape the results of change agentry interventions in technology transfer attempts? The focus of this study was the distribution of "improved cookstoves" in rural Andean, Peru, by a rural aid organization based at a university in Lima, Peru. Individuals from both the aid organization and the community were interviewed regarding their experience, including the engineering and technical team responsible for diffusing the technology, as well as community members who adopted the technology, others who did not, and a third group trained by the aid organization to be local "experts" in the use of cookstoves. The research contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationships between change agents and client recipients by contributing a,n intercultural perspective to discussions of the diffusion of innovations and development interventions.

Recent years witnessed incredibly increasing popularity of online social networking sites around the globe. The emergence of new social media, including online social networking sites, brings the communication world a brand-new area to explore. The success of Facebook and MySpace in the U.S. has attracted a considerate number of communication scholars to examine this phenomenon from different perspectives. As the most cutting-edge tool to investigate a newly-grown medium, uses and gratifications perspective focuses on why people use social media, and how people use them to satisfy their needs. In this study, the most popular online social networking site in China, Renren, was selected to investigate the uses and gratifications of Chinese college students. Four motivations, that is, socializing, entertainment, self-status seeking, and information seeking, were utilized to measure how much weight Chinese college students give to each motivation. Culture's impact on the usage of online social networking sites was also investigated. The concept of interdependent self-construal and independent self-construal was borrowed to examine how culture could play a role in SNS use among Chinese college students. The study found Chinese college students use SNS to gratify their needs of socializing, entertainment, information seeking, while self-status seeking seems to be a weaker factor of SNS use. Six themes emerged in the study including: 1) vision and outlook expansion, 2) friendship maintenance, 3) a sense of self-worth, 4) information seeking, 5) entertainment, and 6) cultivated as a habit, to pass time. In addition, Chinese college students seem to have independent self-construal rather than interdependent self-construal, but the tendency is weak and self-report statistics show they tend to give moderate answers regarding to the self-construal. The influence of different self-construals towards motives in using Renren is subtle. Further explanations of observed finding were provided in the thesis.

Reality dating shows like "The Bachelor," "The Bachelorette," "Average Joe," "For Love or Money" and "Joe Millionaire" have recently attracted a growing number of viewers in the United States. As these reality dating shows pry into the most intimate corners of the lives of ordinary people, they have many people questioning their impact on society. However, there has not been extensive research on this subject. The purpose of the study was to examine the extent that exposure to reality television dating shows have on the cultivation of attitudes and perceptions of interpersonal relationships among college students in the United States. Exposure to reality television dating shows as measured by days viewed in an average week was found to be correlated with the acceptance of dysfunctional relationship beliefs. However, the effect of exposure was found to depend on the amount of perceived realism with the effect stronger for those who evaluated the shows as realistic. These results are more supportive of cognitive-functional theory, rather than cultivation theory. No effects of exposure were found on acceptance of unrealistic relational beliefs.

Social networking sites and virtual spaces have flourished in the past few years. The author explores the impact of such social networking services on the local community at a small liberal arts college. The author investigates modern trends in community theory. Defining community has become more difficult in modern society, where community is no longer easily distinguished by geographical boundaries. From the background of modern community theory the author explores the designation of virtual spaces as “virtual communities.” Literature and research about virtual spaces indicates that they can provide many of the values thought be to inherent to community membership. The strong localized community on campus makes students hesitant in calling Facebook a “virtual community,” despite its strong integration with the face-to-face community itself. Facebook is seen as simply a tool. This thesis incorporates research on one specific case study: through mathematical and ethnographic research of Facebook.com, the author evaluates the opinions of students in considering virtual spaces as communities.

Scania is increasing its production by improving its efficiency. The company is striving to achieve its new productivity goals without making large investments. In large organizations such as Scania there are many competent and skilled employees. However, since many of their offices are located worldwide communication is not always efficient and optimal. The purpose of this thesis is to show the potential benefits when implementing and operating online social networks within global organizations including Scania. Through empirical studies of global organizations which have utilized online social networks for a relatively long period this study intends to collect information which can help generate knowledge about the implementation and operation of online social networks. Our research revealed that important aspects of the implementation of an organization's online social network are knowledge management, dissemination, social ties and links between micro-and macro-networks. Thereby we concluded that online social networks lead to the creation of benefits for the individual as well as for the organization. Based on the theoretical framework and empirical evidence gathered in this study, we have concluded that an implemented model of an online social network fosters such benefits as improved communication channels and increased efficiency in the workplace.

This thesis investigates the seven promises of the Promise Keepers movement using the rhetorical criticism method of fantasy theme analysis. In order to understand this movement, four research questions guided the study: ( 1) What common themes are embedded in the rhetoric of the Promise Keepers? (2) What is the rhetorical vision promoted by the Promise Keepers movement? (3) What makes the vision of the Promise Keepers movement so persuasive to so many Christian men in America? (4) Based on an examination of the rhetoric of the Promise Keepers movement, what can be ascertained about the motives of the movement?" In order to answer these questions, a rhetorical analysis was conducted on the primary literature of the movement. The analysis indicated that the Promise Keepers are trying to transform America into a Christian nation. The Promise Keepers believe that change can be brought about if men follow the movement's seven promises for Christian living. Through these promises, the movement emphasizes a patriarchal view of men in society. In addition, the analysis of the movement's rhetoric suggests that the Promise Keepers are not interested in political change, but moral change through the lives of individual men.

The present study investigates the effects of on-screen messages on viewer perceptions of source credibility and issue valence. Previous research has found that elites utilize framing in order to alter viewer perceptions and change public opinion. An experiment was conducted, which examined whether on-screen messages displayed during a presidential-news conference had any effect on the viewers' perception of sound credibility and issue valence. The results of the study indicate that on-screen messages have no effect on individuals' perceptions of source credibility and issue valence. The study also found that an individual's· political ideology plays a major role in influencing perceptions of source credibility and issue valence.

This investigation is based upon the old, but popular Chinese Proverb- "one picture is worth more than a thousand words" (Bartlett, 1980, p. 132). This researcher examined presidential campaign photographs in hopes of finding a possible media bias toward political candidates. This study confirmed two previous studies (Moriarty and Popovich, 1991 and Moriarty and Garramone, 1986), which reported that the media does, in fact, attempt to balance the visual coverage of political candidates during a presidential election. All visuals, including photographs and illustrations from Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report of candidates Bill Clinton and Bob Dole were used for this study. Data from these national news magazines were collected from September 2 (the kick-off after the Labor Day) to November 4 (the weekly edition just prior to the election on November 5). Moriarty and Garramone ( 1986) developed coding definitions to identify 15 visual attributes of presidential campaign photographs. These attributes include: activity, posture, arms, bands, eyes, expression, interaction, camera angle, portrayal, position, size, props, setting, dress and family association. All visuals were coded as more favorable, less favorable or neutral. A total of 282 visuals were used in this study. The results concluded that Bill Clinton was in 183 visuals, while Dole was in 99 visuals. If one looks at the sheer number or quantity of the visuals, they would assume that Clinton did out photograph Dole. This assumption would lead one to believe that the media was biased, but in fact, most of the visuals that were coded were "more favorable" to both of the candidates.

La recherche proposée s'intéresse au développement d'un modèle d'interaction sociale capable de prendre en compte, en univers virtuel collaboratif, une partie de la dimension émotionnelle et sociale des interactions humaines.
Dans notre approche, chaque utilisateur contrôle son propre avatar (représentation de l'utilisateur dans l'environnement virtuel) et peut prendre des décisions selon ses propres perceptions, son expertise et historique. La problématique de recherche devient donc d'offrir une solution pour maintenir un contexte d'interaction 'riche' lors de la collaboration.
Nous proposons des solutions qui permettent d'enrichir l'interaction sociale en univers virtuel. D'une part, l'interface proposée permet aux interactants d'exploiter leurs références indexicales (par exemple pointer de la main des objets de l'univers, orienter le regard vers une direction, etc.). D'autre part, notre modèle d'interaction sociale permet de produire automatiquement des comportements chez les avatars qui soient pertinents par rapport au contexte de l'interaction (par exemple distribuer le regard vers ses interlocuteurs, regarder les autres avatars en marchant, effectuer des expressions gestuelles en parlant, etc.).
Nous proposons également un modèle émotionnel pour simuler les états internes des personnages virtuels en interaction.
Ces modèles s'intègrent dans une architecture multi-agents capable de fusionner de façon 'réaliste' les actions intentionnelles décidées par l'acteur humain et les comportements non-intentionnels (produits par le modèle d'interaction sociale) comme les gestes, postures, expressions émotionnelles qui dépendent du contexte dans lequel évoluent les avatars.

L'idée de départ à partir de laquelle a trouvé son origine le présent travail était de traiter le problème de l’inégalité, selon une perspective sociologique, à travers la catégorie de genre et spécifiquement dans le cadre de la science. La différence du nombre de femmes au plus haut niveau (et pas seulement) des hiérarchies du travail dans la science (universités, laboratoires, centres de recherche, institutions) est une réalité. Notre recherche s'est donnée pour objectif d'enquêter les mécanismes à travers lesquels l'inégalité de genre opère dans l’univers scientifique et, pour atteindre ce but, nous avons utilisé l'étude d'un cas jugé particulièrement important et utile, celui des lauréates du prix Pour les Femmes et la Science, une importante reconnaissance au niveau international dédié aux femmes qui travaillent dans la science. Après avoir esquissé l'horizon théorique vers lequel diriger notre attention, nous avons d'abord entrepris une analyse secondaire des données. Nous avons élaboré puis soumis les lauréates du prix à un entretien structuré, intégrant donc la phase d’étude préparatoire avec la voix directe des protagonistes. Le noyau central de la recherche est donc constitué par l'étude de cas du prix qui nous a permis d'établir un dialogue direct avec les femmes qui ont réussi à percer les murs puissants qui ont toujours entourés le “fortin” de la science et qui nous aidé à mettre en évidence certaines des dynamiques clés qui peuvent être tenues responsables de l’inégalité. D'une part, en effet, le prix indique comment la présence des femmes dans l'univers scientifique est encore perçue comme un phénomène à souligner, par conséquent, par certains aspects, à protéger, ce qui témoigne que l'égalité de genre dans la science ne doit pas être prise pour acquise, mais plutôt comme un objectif à poursuivre avec persévérance et détermination. D'autre part, il souligne que la recherche scientifique est devenue - comme la Communauté européenne n'a pas manqué de le mettre en évidence et comme la littérature le souligne - un aspect constitutif d'une société développée et de ses dynamiques économiques et politiques. Nous pouvons nous demander : pourquoi une multinationale a décidé d’investir dans un domaine apparemment si éloigné de son propre secteur ? Comment le prix se situe-t-il dans le contexte de l'entreprise ? Ce sont quelques-unes des questions que nous nous sommes posées et auxquelles nous avons tenté de répondre car considérées indispensables pour affronter de la manière la plus approfondie possible l'étude de cas choisi
The starting point from which this work originated is to understand and investigate the problem of inequality, from a sociological perspective, through the gender category and specifically in science. The difference in the number of women at the highest level (and not only) of professional hierarchies in science (universities, laboratories, research centers, institutions) is a reality. Our research aims to investigate the mechanisms through which gender inequality operates in the scientific world and, to achieve this goal, we have used a case study considered particularly important and useful, that of the For Women and Science Award, an important international recognition dedicated to women who work in science. After defining the theoretical horizon which constitutes the context of the thematics of our research, we have realised a secondary analysis of data and then, we have developed and submitted the award’s winners to a structured interview, integrating, in this way, the preparatory study phase with the direct voice of the protagonists. The core of the research is represented by the case study of the L’Oréal’s Award, which has permitted to establish a direct dialogue with the scientists who have succeeded in science and therefore it has helped us to highlight some of the key dynamics responsible of inequality. On one hand, the Award’s case study reflects how the presence of women in the scientific world is still perceived as a phenomenon to be underlined, therefore, in certain aspects, to be protected, showing that gender equality in science must not be taken for granted, but rather as an objective to be pursued with perseverance and determination. On the other hand, it stresses that scientific research has become - as the European Community has not failed to highlight and as the literature underlines - a constitutive aspect of a developed society and of its economic and political dynamics. We may wonder: why a multinational has decided to invest in an area apparently so far from its own sector? How is the Award’s placement in the company’s context? These are some of the questions we have asked and we have tried to answer in order to face the case study chosen and to receive important and innovative informations about the thematics we wanted to analyse with this research
L’idea di partenza da cui ha avuto origine il presente lavoro è stata quella di confrontarsicon il problema, secondo una prospettiva sociologica, della disuguaglianza attraverso lacategoria di genere e, specificatamente, nell’ambito della scienza. La differenza del numerodi donne ai livelli apicali (e non solo) delle gerarchie lavorative in ambito scientifico(università, laboratori, centri di ricerca, istituzioni) è un dato inoppugnabile in quantopermane costante nel tempo. Nella nostra ricerca ci siamo posti, dunque, l’obiettivo di indagarei meccanismi attraverso cui le discriminazioni di genere operano nell’universoscientifico. La nostra indagine ha principiato con un’analisi della letteratura che ci hapermesso di comprendere e definire lo stato dell’arte attuale evidenziando un trend cheresta, purtroppo, invariato. Abbiamo, in seguito, studiato e cercato di capire e mettere inluce quali siano le motivazioni e le dinamiche alla base della perdurante condizione dimarginalità in cui versano le donne e, a tal fine, siamo ricorsi allo studio di un caso giudicatoparticolarmente significativo e interessante, rappresentato dal Premio Pour les femmeset la science. I racconti delle vincitrici del Premio, rappresentanza dell’eccellenzascientifica mondiale, ci hanno permesso di raccogliere importantissime informazioni riguardoa molteplici aspetti relativi alle nostre tematiche. E’ stato infatti possibile fare lucesull’impatto effettivo esercitato sulle carriere scientifiche femminili da parte dell’iniziativadella multinazionale e, in particolar modo, abbiamo potuto raccogliere direttamente dallavoce delle scienziate opinioni, visioni ed esperienze significative che ci hanno permesso diapprofondire dall’interno e secondo un punto di vista inedito e foriero di spunti, le tematicheoggetto della presente tesi. In questo scenario, dopo aver delineato l’orizzonte teoricoentro cui dirigere la nostra attenzione, abbiamo dapprima intrapreso un’analisi secondariadei dati e, in un secondo momento, abbiamo elaborato e somministrato alle vincitrici delPremio un’intervista strutturata. Il nucleo centrale della ricerca è costituito, quindi, dallostudio del caso del Premio che ci ha permesso di instaurare un dialogo diretto con quelledonne che sono riuscite a fare breccia nelle potenti mura che da sempre hanno delimitatoil fortino della scienza, permettendoci così di rilevare alcune delle principali dinamicheche possono essere ritenute responsabili delle dinamiche discriminatorie che produconodisuguaglianze nell’operato delle donne. Da un lato, infatti, il Premio indica come la presenzafemminile nell’universo scientifico sia ancora avvertita come un fenomeno non risolto,dunque, per certi aspetti, da porre costantemente all’attenzione, a testimonianza diquanto la parità di genere nella scienza non vada data per scontata, ma sia anzi un obiettivoda perseguire con costanza e determinazione. Dall’altro lato, esso mette in evidenzache la ricerca scientifica è diventata – come la Comunità Europea non ha mancato di sottolinearee come rimarca molta letteratura – un aspetto costitutivo di una società evoluta edelle sue dinamiche economiche e politiche. Possiamo allora chiederci: perché una famosissimamultinazionale che opera nel campo della cosmesi ha deciso di investire in unaquestione apparentemente così distante e lontana dal proprio ambito di intervento nel mercato? Come si colloca il premio all’interno del contesto aziendale? Questi sono alcuni deiquesiti che ci siamo posti e a cui abbiamo tentato di rispondere perché ritenuti imprescindibiliper affrontare in modo il più possibile approfondito il caso studio prescelto