Knowledge, communication, development: a perspective from Latin America

Abstract

Knowledge in development has been perceived as a one-way commodity that developed nations could bring ‘down to’ the level of ‘developing countries’. Sharing knowledge is generally seen as a North–South operation. This vertical approach to knowledge in development echoes the vertical approach to development in general, whereby knowledge is perceived as an ingredient of the technical assistance given by those who have it to those who do not. However, no organisation can offer social transformation or knowledge sharing if it is not itself engaged in an internal learning process that systematically questions certainties, authorities, and decision making. Learning is a complex process of acquiring knowledge, both within the organisation that facilitates social change and among the subjects of and partners in social change.

Notes

1. The cold chain is supposed to keep vaccines under refrigeration from the central level of health services, all the way down to the rural health posts.

2. These were discussed and suggested by the ‘methodological’ group at the IDS workshop (March 2006).

3. See http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID = 2309&URL_DO = DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION = 201.html (retrieved 22 May 2006).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alfonso Gumucio Dagron

Alfonso Gumucio Dagron is a development communication specialist, a film maker, photographer, and writer with experience in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. A Bolivian national, he has worked with UN organisations, bilateral agencies, foundations, and NGOs. His books include studies on communication as well as poetry, biographies, and short stories. Among them, Making Waves: Participatory Communication for Social Change was published in 2001 by The Rockefeller Foundation. He is currently Managing Director for Programmes at the Communication for Social Change Consortium.