Profile
I am an academic, practice-led researcher, filmmaker and development communication facilitator. I originally studied art and design in the UK and then lived in Nepal for 5 years working in development communication, producing various media like posters, flip charts, films, radio programmes and street drama to support development programmes focused on health, education, agriculture and engineering.
Increasingly uncomfortable with top-down approaches, and influenced by Paulo Freire, I focused my work on participatory methods where communication is a core activity and not an add-on. I completed my PhD in Participatory Development Communication, facilitating inner city youth in Nepal to use community television and street drama to affect positive change in their lives.
Now, my practice-led research focuses on social and environmental issues. I seek to support grassroots marginalised and disadvantaged people, animals and the environment to have a stronger voice in the discussion of issues that directly affect them. I have engaged with various communities in about 20 countries around the world.
I also facilitate relevant workshops, utilising participatory methods that allow stakeholders to share experiences, explore issues, and produce recommendations to enhance sustainable development practice and policy.
Profile
I am an academic, practice-led researcher, filmmaker and development communication facilitator. I originally studied art and design in the UK and then lived in Nepal for 5 years working in development communication, producing various media like posters, flip charts, films, radio programmes and street drama to support development programmes focused on health, education, agriculture and engineering.
Increasingly uncomfortable with top-down approaches, and influenced by Paulo Freire, I focused my work on participatory methods where communication is a core activity and not an add-on. I completed my PhD in Participatory Development Communication, facilitating inner city youth in Nepal to use community television and street drama to affect positive change in their lives.
Now, my practice-led research focuses on social and environmental issues. I seek to support grassroots marginalised and disadvantaged people, animals and the environment to have a stronger voice in the discussion of issues that directly affect them. I have engaged with various communities in about 20 countries around the world.
I also facilitate relevant workshops, utilising participatory methods that allow stakeholders to share experiences, explore issues, and produce recommendations to enhance sustainable development practice and policy.
Profile
Profile
Previous Research
Previous Research
Previous Research
Professor Michael Brown PhD, MA, BA(Hons), PGCert, FHEA
Knowledge Exchange
Michael Brown, Symposium Convener
Introduction to the Symposium's Themes
Stephen McCloskey
Centre for Global Education
Questioning Social Development
Mary Chambers
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit Vietnam
Participatory Visual Methods and Ethics
David Borish
Filmmaker
HERD - Participatory filmmaking with Inuit communities in Northern Canada
Inspiring Others
I seek dialogue with practitioners and academics, sharing experiences and methodologies, so together we might flourish whilst promoting positive change in the world. I facilitate workshops and symposiums, bringing together practitioners and academics to promote knowledge exchange.
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Masterclasses on Participatory and Ethnographic Filmmaking for Social Change
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These Masterclasses were presented in (1)Thunder Bay, Canada in February 2024, as part of the Spotlight on Academics Film Festival, and (2) Kathmandu, Nepal in December 2023, as part of the Nepal Human Rights Film Centre Film Festival. The recording of the sessions is supported by participant feedback in the PDF documents.
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Symposium of Ethnographic and Participatory Documentary for Social Change
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This two-day symposium explored how ethnographic and participatory documentary may be positively affecting people's lives and environments around the world, whilst questioning the very concept of sustainable development. International practitioners and academics shared their experiences of ethnographic and participatory filmmaking as an action promoting positive change. Speakers presented real-life examples, describing methodologies and reflecting on impact.
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Recordings of Sessions
DAY ONE
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DAY TWO
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Sagar Raj Sharma
Professor of Development Studies, Kathmandu University
Introducing the Himalayan Center for Asian Studies
Evelyn Pauls and Saroj Sharma Sapkota
On behalf of the Berghof Foundation
Participatory filmmaking with female ex-combatants around the world
