Thomas Tufte
Professor, Director of Institute for Media and Creative Industries, Loughborough University London (2018-). Senior Research Associate at University of Johannesburg (2013-). My previous job was as Research Director at School of Media and Sociology, University of Leicester (2016-2018) and before then as Professor in Communication at Roskilde University (2004-2012). My educational background is an MA in cultural sociology (1989) and a Ph.D in communication (1995).
I was previously an assistant professor (1996-1999) and associate professor (1999-2004) at University of Copenhagen. From 1994-1996 I served as a junior professional officer for UNDP in Asunción, Paraguay. My first job was as a information and communication officer in the Danish NGO Danchurchaid (1990-1993).
I have directed 7 larger international research projects over the years, the most recent two being 'Critical Perspectives on New Media and Social Change in the Global South' (2013-2017) and ‘People Speaking Back? Media, Empowerment and Democracy in East Africa’ (2009-2013). I was founding co-director of the bi-national research centre ‘Orecomm – A Communication and Glocal Change Consortium’ (see: http://orecomm.net).
Since I gained my PhD in 1995 I have lectured, conducted research, been visiting scholar or undertaken consultancy in more than 30 countries. I have written and edited 15 books and published some 50+ research articles in international books and journals.
I was UNESCO Chair of Communication at Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain for one semester in 2003.
Over the years my research has evolved around 4-5 intersecting research areas: a) exploring the relation between media, communication, citizen empowerment and social change; b) health communication, in particular HIV/AIDS prevention; c) media and globalization; d) storytelling, tv-fiction (telenovelas) and their strategic use to articulate social change (edutainment).
Previous and current research projects and programmes illustrate my research interests:
• 2009-2013: ‘Peoples Speaking Back? Media, Empowerment and Democracy in East Africa, (Principal Investigator, team of 2 Danish and 4 international researchers);
• 2003-2006: Co-editor (with Alfonso Gumucio Dagron) of ‘Communication for Social Change Anthology: Historical and Contemporary Readings’ (includes almost 200 texts from 50 years of history of the field)
• 2001-2005: HIV/AIDS Communication and Prevention in South Africa (Principal Investigator, team of 3 Danish and three international researchers)
• 1999-2001; Globalization, identity and ethnic minority media use in Denmark.
• 1996-1999: Gauchos Going Global – media development, globalization and cultural identity in Southern Brazil, Post-Doc Project.
• 1990-1994: Telenovelas, Culture and Modernity in Brazil, PhD-Project
I have also served as a communications consultant to many development organisations, including DANIDA, USAID, SIDA, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, CFSC Consortium, ADRA and The Panos Institute, covering acticities both in Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe. This has been mostly related to media and civil society development, media and communication for development issues, and HIV/AIDS communication.
International Research Networks, Policy Work and Expert Committees include:
2008-2010 - Co-coordinator of IAMCR’s standing working group on ‘Health Communication and Change’; 2002-2008 - founding co-coordinator of IAMCR’s standing working group on HIV/AIDS communication; 2004 - Member of the International Council, IAMCR; 2005-2007 - Member of the Publications Committee of IAMCR; February-December 2006 - Member of the Scientific Committee, and co-author of background document of the First World Congress on Communication for Development (held in Rome October 2006); 2006-2009 Member of Expert Committee of AIDS Accountability International; September 2005 - Founding member of the University Network on Communication for Social Change, initiated and coordinated by the Communication for Social Change Consortium, USA; 2005-2007. Member, in personal capacity, of DANIDAs Council for International Development; Since 2006 – Member, in personal capacity, of the Council of Danchurchaid (Folkekirkens Nødhjælp); 2002-2004. Participant in Rockfeller Foundation’s meetings on policy development regarding the emerging field of Communication for Social Change; 2001-2002. Member of Danida's ‘International Think Tank on HIV/AIDS in support of policy making’, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; 2000-2003 Member of the International Advisory Evaluation Board of the South Africa Media NGO ‘Soul City’.
Phone: 0044 (0)20 38051321
Address: Loughborough University London
Institute for Media and Creative Industries
HERE East Building
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
E15 2GZ, London, UK
I was previously an assistant professor (1996-1999) and associate professor (1999-2004) at University of Copenhagen. From 1994-1996 I served as a junior professional officer for UNDP in Asunción, Paraguay. My first job was as a information and communication officer in the Danish NGO Danchurchaid (1990-1993).
I have directed 7 larger international research projects over the years, the most recent two being 'Critical Perspectives on New Media and Social Change in the Global South' (2013-2017) and ‘People Speaking Back? Media, Empowerment and Democracy in East Africa’ (2009-2013). I was founding co-director of the bi-national research centre ‘Orecomm – A Communication and Glocal Change Consortium’ (see: http://orecomm.net).
Since I gained my PhD in 1995 I have lectured, conducted research, been visiting scholar or undertaken consultancy in more than 30 countries. I have written and edited 15 books and published some 50+ research articles in international books and journals.
I was UNESCO Chair of Communication at Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain for one semester in 2003.
Over the years my research has evolved around 4-5 intersecting research areas: a) exploring the relation between media, communication, citizen empowerment and social change; b) health communication, in particular HIV/AIDS prevention; c) media and globalization; d) storytelling, tv-fiction (telenovelas) and their strategic use to articulate social change (edutainment).
Previous and current research projects and programmes illustrate my research interests:
• 2009-2013: ‘Peoples Speaking Back? Media, Empowerment and Democracy in East Africa, (Principal Investigator, team of 2 Danish and 4 international researchers);
• 2003-2006: Co-editor (with Alfonso Gumucio Dagron) of ‘Communication for Social Change Anthology: Historical and Contemporary Readings’ (includes almost 200 texts from 50 years of history of the field)
• 2001-2005: HIV/AIDS Communication and Prevention in South Africa (Principal Investigator, team of 3 Danish and three international researchers)
• 1999-2001; Globalization, identity and ethnic minority media use in Denmark.
• 1996-1999: Gauchos Going Global – media development, globalization and cultural identity in Southern Brazil, Post-Doc Project.
• 1990-1994: Telenovelas, Culture and Modernity in Brazil, PhD-Project
I have also served as a communications consultant to many development organisations, including DANIDA, USAID, SIDA, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, CFSC Consortium, ADRA and The Panos Institute, covering acticities both in Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe. This has been mostly related to media and civil society development, media and communication for development issues, and HIV/AIDS communication.
International Research Networks, Policy Work and Expert Committees include:
2008-2010 - Co-coordinator of IAMCR’s standing working group on ‘Health Communication and Change’; 2002-2008 - founding co-coordinator of IAMCR’s standing working group on HIV/AIDS communication; 2004 - Member of the International Council, IAMCR; 2005-2007 - Member of the Publications Committee of IAMCR; February-December 2006 - Member of the Scientific Committee, and co-author of background document of the First World Congress on Communication for Development (held in Rome October 2006); 2006-2009 Member of Expert Committee of AIDS Accountability International; September 2005 - Founding member of the University Network on Communication for Social Change, initiated and coordinated by the Communication for Social Change Consortium, USA; 2005-2007. Member, in personal capacity, of DANIDAs Council for International Development; Since 2006 – Member, in personal capacity, of the Council of Danchurchaid (Folkekirkens Nødhjælp); 2002-2004. Participant in Rockfeller Foundation’s meetings on policy development regarding the emerging field of Communication for Social Change; 2001-2002. Member of Danida's ‘International Think Tank on HIV/AIDS in support of policy making’, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; 2000-2003 Member of the International Advisory Evaluation Board of the South Africa Media NGO ‘Soul City’.
Phone: 0044 (0)20 38051321
Address: Loughborough University London
Institute for Media and Creative Industries
HERE East Building
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
E15 2GZ, London, UK
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Books by Thomas Tufte
Youth in particular engaged massively, visibly, loudly and dramatically around demands to be involved and included in their countries’ development processes. This yearbook taps into the less visible and dramatic, but nevertheless highly dynamic and influential, process of media development and the enlargement of youth-driven, deliberative spaces which sub-Saharan Africa is currently experiencing.
This case study includes a range of 'telenovela interviews' with low-income urban women. Tufte situates this study within the theoretical framework of media ethnography and in doing so, draws heavily on Latin American cultural theory."
At the core of this creativity and these innovative practices is media and information literacy. Young people’s competence in using media, their ability to produce, understand and interact with the multiplicity of both new and old media formats and technologies have been instrumental in the manifestation of social processes of change. This book seeks to explore theoretical assumptions as well as empirical evidence of media and information literacy in action. But it also gathers examples of how youth in developing countries have used their skills to bring about change.
Papers by Thomas Tufte
Youth in particular engaged massively, visibly, loudly and dramatically around demands to be involved and included in their countries’ development processes. This yearbook taps into the less visible and dramatic, but nevertheless highly dynamic and influential, process of media development and the enlargement of youth-driven, deliberative spaces which sub-Saharan Africa is currently experiencing.
This case study includes a range of 'telenovela interviews' with low-income urban women. Tufte situates this study within the theoretical framework of media ethnography and in doing so, draws heavily on Latin American cultural theory."
At the core of this creativity and these innovative practices is media and information literacy. Young people’s competence in using media, their ability to produce, understand and interact with the multiplicity of both new and old media formats and technologies have been instrumental in the manifestation of social processes of change. This book seeks to explore theoretical assumptions as well as empirical evidence of media and information literacy in action. But it also gathers examples of how youth in developing countries have used their skills to bring about change.
las intervenciones de tipo eduentretenimiento
(e-e), lo cual requiere una
reflexión más a fondo y una clarificación
conceptual. Desde aquí se propone
una aproximación teórico-metodológica
al análisis del proceso de construcción
de sentido de las audiencias,
sugiriendo nuevas formas de evaluar
cómo las intervenciones de tipo E-E
influyen en aquellas. El abordaje propuesto
se ilustra a partir de un estudio
de caso, la telenovela brasileña “A Rainha
do Sucata” (“La reina chatarra”).-----
This paper addresses a particular issue
that requires further reflection and
conceptual clarification, which is how
best to assess entertainment-education
interventions. A theoretical-methodological
approach to the analysis of
audience sense-making is proposed,
suggesting new ways of evaluating
how E-E interventions influence their
audience. The proposed approach will
be informed by a case study using the
Brazilian soap opera “A Rainha do
Sucata” (“The rubbish queen”).