Popular Culture and Communications in the Third WorldAuthor(s): Richard BlackSource: Area, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Jun., 1993), pp. 205-206Published by: The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20003293 .

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Annual Conference 205

emphasised that students needed some guidance in exploring large data-rich systems such as those demonstrated.

The CTI Centre is hoping to establish a discussion group among historical geographers and many of the participants in the workshop expressed interest in this.

Humphrey Southall QMW, London

Popular culture and communications in the Third World

This session, the first of two modules convened by the Developing Areas Research Group and the Social and Cultural Geography Study Group, dealt with the issues surrounding the relation ships between popular cultures and patterns of communication in Third World countries. In all six papers examined patterns of communication in various media, focusing predominantly on Latin America and the Caribbean, but also on Africa and India. Included were four papers focusing on more ' formal ' media, specifically two on popular theatre (Catherine Boyle, King's College London and Anders Narman, Gothenberg); one on cable television (Margaret Byron, King's College London), and one on a range of formal media, including theatre, poetry, sculp ture and the novel (Colin Clarke, Oxford); meanwhile, two further papers dealt with more 'informal medial', namely oral poetry, and its development through to the operation of com

munity radio stations (Vivian Schelling, East London), and communication through patronage and other networks (Sheena Asthana, Exeter).

In practice, a number of diverse messages were conveyed by the various speakers, reflecting both the different cultural contexts with which they were dealing, and also the fragmented nature of the forms of media cited. For example, Anders Narman (Gothenberg) citing case studies of popular theatre in Kenya and Zimbabwe, emphasised the political importance of simply partici pating in such activities, and assessed the potential for political and economic mobilisation of populations through development of popular theatre programmes. Vivian Schelling (East London) also examined the political importance, in shaping a new ethnic identity for migrant groups, of the growth of popular radio stations in the shanty towns of Sao Paulo (Brazil).

In contrast, Catherine Boyle (King's College, London) in her paper on the theatre of publaciones in Santiago (Chile) noted the appropriation of political messages initially grounded in popular theatre by more commercial operations, suggesting that truly popular theatre has become much more a vehicle for personal rather than political development. Margaret Byron's paper also focused, in a slightly different way, on the loss of local political and ethnic identity threatened by the development of cable television in the Caribbean islands of St Kitts and

Nevis. Twenty-four hour multi-station cable TV, much of it dominated by US Christian fundamentalist movements, was seen as subverting pre-existing patterns of identification with local television and radio.

Happily, the process of cultural diffusion need not be seen necessarily as one-way. Thus Colin Clarke (Oxford) drew our attention, for example, to the development of a ' counter-culture ' in Jamaica since independence, which has itself proved a powerful export, particularly in the form of reggae, but also in the development of internationally-reputed work in the performance and plastic arts. Finally, Sheena Asthana (Exeter) switched our attention to the purpose of dissemi nation of information, focusing on the particular case of providing information to slum dwellers in the Indian city of Visakhpatnam on health, housing, water and other development projects.

The relative efficiency of vertical versus horizontal networks was compared, with a focus on the ability of the latter to avoid associating the provision of information with political power and patronage.

In a sense, all of the papers presented dealt with the issue of power, whether this was through the ability of those controlling information flows to have power over others, or the ability of those involved in disseminating information to gain power and control over their own lives. A major

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206 Annual Conference

achievement of the session was to confirm the ability of researchers from a range of disciplinary contexts, working on a range of different local cultures, to communicate successfully with each other, and share their varying perspectives. Whether this contributed to our power in explaining the phenomena of popular culture and communication remains to be seen.

Richard Black King's College, London

Information Technology based perspectives on the teaching and learning of geography in higher education The session was organised by the Computers in Teaching Initiative Centre for Geography (CTICG) to complement two other CTICG events: an exhibition of computer-assisted learning materials and a workshop for Historical Geographers featuring Interactive Atlases and

Multimedia. A pervasive problem facing geographers in higher education is how best to deal with ever

increasing students numbers at a time of attenuated resource provision. In the May 1991 report Higher Education: a new framework, the UK government announced plans for a 50 per cent increase in student numbers by the year 2000 in a' cost-effective expansion 'of higher education.

Given this agenda, and with a view to maintaining existing quality levels, the panellists examined the extent to which information technology-based resources could be used to provide an effective teaching and learning environment.

Following the opening remarks of the chairman, Professor Derek Diamond (LSE) Alan Jenkins (Oxford Brookes) spoke from a self-confessed ' Luddite Perspective'. Noting that student-staff ratios (SSRs) in UK geography departments in the higher education sector rose from 121:1 in 1986 to 174:1 in 1991. He outlined some broad strategies for staff to develop if quality in teaching is to be maintained. Information technology (IT) had been hailed as both cost and educationally effective. Jenkins challenged however the presumption that it is a panacea for all our problems. The areas where IT offers answers both for staff and students trying to cope

with large classes and higher SSRs are very limited. He suggested that, for example, well-written textbooks are relatively cheaper and educationally more effective.

Professor Brian Robson (Manchester) then provided some views on pedagogical issues from his perspective as a member of the academic audit unit. Although not directly related to the use of IT in teaching, Robson clearly outlined the need to establish unequivocal procedures which

would ensure that quality in teaching received appropriate professional status. Some central issues having been aired, the next two speakers addresed themselves more

directly to the implications of a wider adoption of IT in the teaching and learning environment. Nigel Gardner (Ulster) departed from his prepared script to commend a recent publication from USA (Boettcher 1993) in refutation of Jenkins' view of IT's limited applicability. He also drew attention to the MacFarlane Report (CSUP 1993) which examines critically the penetration of new educational technology into mainstream of higher education and advocates an important role for IT, and indeed for an enlarged CTI, in recommendations to institutions and Funding

Councils for enhancing the learning experience. In focusing on strategies for increasing the level of resources within geography departments, Gardner (Ulster) highlighted the need to understand the new funding models and respond to a new political economy of resource allo cation both at national level and within individual universities. Gardner's eloquent presentation drew on his managerial roles in major UFC/ISC and Research Council Initiatives, new-found experience as a University Librarian and Director of Computing, and an evident affection for Geography.

By way of contrast, John Castleford (Leicester) elucidated some of the philosophical issues facing individual teachers, and the increasing need to ensure that they facilitate an effective learning experience for students. The much-vaunted potential of computer-based learning had

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