COM 2004 Volume 9

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http://hdl.handle.net/11660/9706

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Browsing COM 2004 Volume 9 by Subject "Communication"

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    Changing notions of political community through subnational communication
    (University of the Free State, 2004) Hudson, Heidi
    This article seeks to address the question whether, in the face of growing dominance of globalisation, political communities will become less nationalistic and state-centric. The focus is on conceptually redefining the traditional notion of political community by looking at how transnational community is formed through social and political communication. After outlining the definitional minefield of concepts three metaphors or images of transnational community-building, namely transactionalism, cosmopolitanism and neo-medievalism are discussed. From there, the dynamics of the subnational external relations of provinces and municipalities are examined. Specific attention is paid to the Free State province and the Local Municipality of Mangaung and the way in which basic political values of citizenship and rights are communicated and inculcated.
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    Community and communication
    (University of the Free State, 2004) Strauss, D. F. M.
    Amongst several other characteristic features human beings are known to live in communities and to have the ability to communicate with each other. But although this statement may receive almost universal consent, the ways soon divide when a closer account is sought of the nature of community and of communication. We commence our discussion by first developing a brief perspective on the nature of communication in its relation to the uniqueness of human language, and then proceed with an analysis of the interconnections between communicative actions and the complexity of human societal endeavours - also taking into account the nature of traditional African societies. The analysis is concluded with a brief sketch of the correlation of co-ordinational and communal relationships within society and with an indication of the mediating role of communication media within a differentiated society.
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    Mbeki's HIV/AIDS policy communication: the beliefs and behaviours of a South African community
    (University of the Free State, 2004) Kiwanuka-Tondo, J.; Amico, R.; De Wet, G.; Fisher, J.; Cornman, D.
    In South Africa by 2002, the number of people living with HIV had risen to 4. 7 million with JI% of the population infected. About 25% of the pregnant women in South Africa are HIV positive, and hundreds of infants are infected at birth every day. Amidst this grave public health emergency, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa sparked a huge international debate during the 13th International AIDS Conference, when he challenged the prevailing AIDS paradigm that HIV causes AIDS, raised questions about the role of AZT as a treatment, and argued that poverty was responsible for the aggressive spread of AIDS in his country. The theoretical body of research implies that communication of political issues from the media influences public perception about these issues. Residents of Ikageng, a suburb of Potchefstroom in South Africa, were p·urposively sampled because the township was demographically similar to many of the townships in South Africa. Results suggested that President Mbeki's statements may not have played a discernable role in influencing opinion and risk behaviour in this particular sample. This is most likely due to this sample's reliance on other sources for health-related information. The majority of participants reported relying upon medical officials for information about HIV or AIDS. The lack of a direct influence of Mbeki's controversial stance regarding HIV/AIDS on individual risk behaviour, however, may speak to the potential positive and resilient influence of HIV prevention campaigns