Talk by Stefania Milan – Stealing the fire – Thursday, 25 November, 3 p.m.

Media@McGill invites you to Stefania Milan's talk on Thursday, 25 November, 3:00 p.m., Ferrier 230.

Title of talk: Stealing the fire: How social movements create grassroots communication infrastructures

Abstract: Why and how do people organize to bypass mainstream media and telecoms? How do grassroots communication infrastructures look like, and how do they function? Do social movements contribute to change communications policy from the grassroots?

Social movements embody an alternative vision of the world. They seek to communicate their claims to the wider public. Not only they attempt to access mainstream media, they also set up their own media and communication channels. However, when observing social movements, researchers usually take an instrumental approach to communication and media processes - they tend to focus more on ends rather than means. "Stealing the fire" tells the story of how democratic and horizontal "means" of communication are envisioned, built, and operated.

Stefania Milan will introduce two examples of self-organized communication channels, on the airwaves and on the internet respectively: low-power community radio stations, and grassroots internet service providers operated by "radical techies".

She will explore the sociological and cultural processes at play in grassroots communication, uncovering how a collective identity is built around technological issues, and how the groups take action. Examples are from a four-year transnational study of grassroots developers of communication infrastructure.

Stefania Milan holds a PhD from the European University Institute, Italy, and is visiting Media@McGill this fall.