RESEARCH
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Program of Research My research program explores the interplay of structure, culture and agency in global and local health contexts. The goals of my research program are (a) to document the ways in which culture and structure shape health beliefs and outcomes (b) to understand the role of communication (i.e., mediated and non-mediated) in empowering marginalized communities to achieve health outcomes, and (c) to uncover avenues that civil society (individuals, communities, and organizations) can use to participate in broader social change. I am currently in the process of researching NGO-led community HIV/AIDS programs in South India. Journal Articles de Souza, R. (in press). Creating "communicative spaces": A case of NGO community-organizing for HIV/AIDS. Health Communication Dutta-Bergman, M. & de Souza, R. (in press). Reconciling the past and present: Reflexivity in the critical-cultural approach to health campaigns. Health Communication. De Souza, R. & Dutta-Bergman (in press). The Internet as a social network in health communication: The case of Saathii. Journal of Health Communication Desouza, R., Basu, A., Kim, I., Basnyat, I., & Dutta, M. (2008). Who agreed to the neoliberal trade agreements? A discussion of the impact of "fair trade" on the health of marginalized communities. In H. Zoller & M. Dutta. (Eds.), Emerging Perspectives in Health Communication: Interpretive, Critical, and Cultural Approaches, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. De Souza, R. (2007). The construction of HIV/AIDS in Indian newspapers: A frame analysis. Health Communication, 21(3), 257-266. Desouza, R. & Sherry, J. (2006) Portrayals of romantic conflict on adolescent television. Media Report to Women, 34 (1). Dissertation de Souza, Rebecca, T. Ph.D., Purdue University, August, 2007. NGOs and Empowerment: Creating Communicative Spaces in the Realm of HIV/AIDS in India. Major Professor: Mohan Jyoti Dutta. Abstract: The study investigates the role of external change agents, specifically non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in empowering communities for HIV/AIDS prevention and support. I use the case-study method to examine empowerment in the context of five NGOs situated in the state of Karnataka, India. Specifically, the study documents the context within which NGO-led HIV/AIDS programs occur, the meanings of empowerment, and the processes used to empower communities. The culture-centered approach provided the meta-theoretical lens for the project. Briefly, I found that the context within which HIV/AIDS emerges is one in which the interrelated factors of poverty, gender inequalities, myths and misconceptions, stigma and discrimination serve to perpetuate the problem of HIV/AIDS. Within this context, the prominent meanings attributed to empowerment across NGOs include structural access, a sense of self-worth and self-acceptance, "voice", social acceptance, collectivization, and self-reliance. Finally, the NGOs enact a number of processes including counseling, collectivization, capacity-building, medical support, community sensitization, and macro-level advocacy in order to empower communities for HIV/AIDS prevention and support. The study reveals multiple struggles and dialectics of power amongst NGOs and various stakeholders they work with. The dissertation concludes that while NGOs enact a number of processes, the overarching role that NGOs play is in the creation of "communicative spaces" for marginalized communities to articulate change. It is through the medium of such spaces- geographic and discursive- that silenced individuals and communities gain and sustain access to various forms of power. The study contributes to theorizing on the culture-centered approach, empowerment in nonwestern cultures, and the role of NGOs in a health context. Competitive Papers at Professional Conferences Desouza, R. (2006). The construction of HIV/AIDS in Indian newspapers: A frame analysis. Paper to be presented at Health Communication Division, National Communication Association Conference, San Antonio, TX. Desouza, R. (2005). Who should NGOs collaborate with? A critical evaluation of the public sphere in participatory approaches to health promotion. Paper presented at Critical and Cultural Studies Division, National Communication Association Conference, Boston, MS. Desouza, R., Basu, A., & Dutta-Bergman, M. (2005). TRIPS and health: Neoliberal policy that marginalizes. Paper presented at Political Communication Division, National Communication Association Conference, Boston, MS. Desouza, R. & Sherry, J. (2005). Portrayals of romantic conflict on adolescent television. Paper presented at International Communication Association Conference, New York, NY. Desouza, R. (2004) Reconciling the Past and Present: Reflexivity in the critical-cultural approach to health campaigns. Paper presented at Health Communication Division, National Communication Association Conference, Chicago, IL. De Souza, R. & Buenger, E. (2003). Lifetime versus Network television: A comparative analysis of heart related health messages for women. Paper presented at the Health Communication Division, National Communication Association Conference, Chicago, IL. Sherry, J., Lucas, K., De Souza, R.& Brown, C. (2003). Video games uses and gratifications as predictors of use and game preference among different age cohorts. Paper presented at Mass Communication Division, International Communication Association Conference, San Diego, CA. Sherry, J., Desouza R., Greenberg, B. S., & Lachlan, K. (2003). Relationship between developmental stages and video game uses and gratifications, game preference and amount of time spent in play. Paper presented at Instructional and Developmental Communication Division, Top 3 paper, International Communication Association, San Diego, CA. Sherry, J., Desouza, R., & Holmstrom, A. (2003). The appeal of violent video games in children. Paper presented at Research Division, Broadcast Education Association Annual Convention, Las Vegas, NV. Sherry, J. L., Lucas, K., Brown, C., DeSouza, R., & Holmstrom, A. (2002). Uses and effects of violent video games. Paper presented at Mass Communication Division, Central States Communication Association, Milwaukee, WI. Panels Elton, J., Paglia, J., De Souza, R. (2007). Broadening Biomedical Worldviews: Critical Cultural Perspectives on Health and Disease. Critical and Cultural Studies Division. National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL. Zeitz, W., Desouza, R., Basu, A., Jiang, M., & Cantu, I. (2005). Shedding the politics: A healthy reflection on academic and social identities. International and Intercultural Division. National Communication Association Convention, Boston, MA. Desouza, R. (2005). Culture and Health: Negotiating the Global and the Local. Central States Communication Association, Kansas City, MO. |