Popular talk radio and everyday life in Mauritius

dc.contributor.advisorWasserman, Hermanus
dc.contributor.authorChenganna, Azhagan
dc.date.accessioned2022-05-19T07:55:44Z
dc.date.available2022-05-19T07:55:44Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.date.updated2022-05-19T07:53:59Z
dc.description.abstractThis study has attempted to explore the myriad ways talk radio is tied to everyday life in Mauritius. As a point of departure, this study has considered the success of Mauritian private radio stations as a social phenomenon that deserves attention. It has delved into the ways talk radio, especially their morning talk radio programmes, are tied to notions of citizenship, democracy and development. Anchoring popular talk radio as practice, the study has used a multilevel approach to find out what do people do to talk radio, what kinds of engagement are pursued, which ethical considerations are valued and the implications for citizenship and democracy in a Mauritian context of power differentials and social inequalities. Following a three tier approach implying discourse analysis of morning talk radio, focus group discussions with listeners as well as in-depth interviews of journalists, this study has underlined the importance and significance of the new political that has emerged, highlighting the fact that the democratisation of the radio airwaves in 2002 has allowed political engagements and participation of ordinary people hitherto excluded from the Mauritian public sphere. Against the perspective that views the public sphere as constituted unequivocally in rationality and consensus, this study contends that talk on morning talk radio is inherently conflictual and is performed in reason and affects. Anger, fear, anxiety, hope and solidarity are discursive resources that define the life trajectories of ordinary people but are also ways for listeners to “feel their way” into the stories and to bond together to create a sense of engaged community however fleeting these communities may be. The ethics of care and solidarity afforded by talk radio journalists to these communities shift understandings of the liberal democratic norms of journalism from professionalism to “interpretive communities” that are characterized by social reciprocity. Adopting a decolonial approach that foregrounds the importance of listening to the lived experiences of people, this study finally makes the case for an ethics of listening that is based on re-imagining the conditions for talk radio journalists to listen deeply to people, especially to marginalized communities as a way for journalism to stay relevant while improving the capabilities of people and consolidating the conditions of living together well.
dc.identifier.apacitationChenganna, A. (2022). <i>Popular talk radio and everyday life in Mauritius</i>. (). ,Faculty of Humanities ,Centre for Film and Media Studies. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36420en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationChenganna, Azhagan. <i>"Popular talk radio and everyday life in Mauritius."</i> ., ,Faculty of Humanities ,Centre for Film and Media Studies, 2022. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36420en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationChenganna, A. 2022. Popular talk radio and everyday life in Mauritius. . ,Faculty of Humanities ,Centre for Film and Media Studies. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36420en_ZA
dc.identifier.risTY - Doctoral Thesis AU - Chenganna, Azhagan AB - This study has attempted to explore the myriad ways talk radio is tied to everyday life in Mauritius. As a point of departure, this study has considered the success of Mauritian private radio stations as a social phenomenon that deserves attention. It has delved into the ways talk radio, especially their morning talk radio programmes, are tied to notions of citizenship, democracy and development. Anchoring popular talk radio as practice, the study has used a multilevel approach to find out what do people do to talk radio, what kinds of engagement are pursued, which ethical considerations are valued and the implications for citizenship and democracy in a Mauritian context of power differentials and social inequalities. Following a three tier approach implying discourse analysis of morning talk radio, focus group discussions with listeners as well as in-depth interviews of journalists, this study has underlined the importance and significance of the new political that has emerged, highlighting the fact that the democratisation of the radio airwaves in 2002 has allowed political engagements and participation of ordinary people hitherto excluded from the Mauritian public sphere. Against the perspective that views the public sphere as constituted unequivocally in rationality and consensus, this study contends that talk on morning talk radio is inherently conflictual and is performed in reason and affects. Anger, fear, anxiety, hope and solidarity are discursive resources that define the life trajectories of ordinary people but are also ways for listeners to “feel their way” into the stories and to bond together to create a sense of engaged community however fleeting these communities may be. The ethics of care and solidarity afforded by talk radio journalists to these communities shift understandings of the liberal democratic norms of journalism from professionalism to “interpretive communities” that are characterized by social reciprocity. Adopting a decolonial approach that foregrounds the importance of listening to the lived experiences of people, this study finally makes the case for an ethics of listening that is based on re-imagining the conditions for talk radio journalists to listen deeply to people, especially to marginalized communities as a way for journalism to stay relevant while improving the capabilities of people and consolidating the conditions of living together well. DA - 2022 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - Film and Media Studies LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PY - 2022 T1 - Popular talk radio and everyday life in Mauritius TI - Popular talk radio and everyday life in Mauritius UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36420 ER -en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/36420
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationChenganna A. Popular talk radio and everyday life in Mauritius. []. ,Faculty of Humanities ,Centre for Film and Media Studies, 2022 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36420en_ZA
dc.language.rfc3066eng
dc.publisher.departmentCentre for Film and Media Studies
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanities
dc.subjectFilm and Media Studies
dc.titlePopular talk radio and everyday life in Mauritius
dc.typeDoctoral Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoral
dc.type.qualificationlevelPhD
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