Power, knowledge and community video revisited

Abstract

Criticos and Quinlan, in previously published papers in this publication and elsewhere, suggest that their community video projects have achieved the ideals of critical practice. Critical practice emphasizes the democratic participation by all in social constructions and the transformation of knowledge, and the world. This article argues that Criticos’ and Quinlan's community video projects were not able to live up to the standards and practices demanded by community video cum critical theory. This is due to the fact that the difficulties are irresolvable within critical theory; they are symptomatic of the fact that community video is unreflectively grounded upon particular conceptions of power and knowledge which render it incoherent. It is suggested that by exploring the contradictions of community video in its own terms, especially with reference to the dichotomy between theory and practice, one can begin to explicate its immersion within relations of power and knowledge.