How is public discourse influenced by media and technical systems, and what effect does this have on civic engagement? Researchers at Concordia examine this question in a variety of contexts.

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Media Studies graduate students from Concordia interview media collectives to understand how they promote critical media interventions and community empowerment. Michael Lithgow interviews graphic design group, VANGUARD. Olivier Fortin speaks with the Montreal Animation Collective. Dallas Curow interviews multi-media arts collective, Volatile Works. Cindy Poremba introduces the Kokoromi Collective, a small group of experimental game developers. Simon Tattrie interviews media literacy group, Co-op Collective Vision. Martha Stiegman introduces Wapikoni, a youth media project in Quebec's aboriginal communities. Jennifer Parisi interviews the A-Infos Radio Project. Brian Fauteaux speaks with members of the CKUT News Collective.

The program aired on Wednesday, April 25th on community radio stations CKUT and online on CJLO. The show was edited by Jennifer Parisi, with technical production by Paul Benzon. Many thanks to Professor Elizabeth Miller for her support. Transcripts for all interviews are available.

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Concordia graduate Jennifer Parisi examines resistance to public surveillance and national security measures in her thesis, A “broad-based and angry network”: Opposing surveillance and security measures post-9/11. Here, she looks at recent anti-surveillance interventions by three organized groups both in Canada and internationally, the International Campaign Against Mass Surveillance, the Surveillance Camera Players, and the Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui. She argues that broad-based, participatory social networks are necessary components in the politics of surveillance, because they are able to challenge existing systems. By providing a means for self-empowerment and community self-reliance, social networks may also resonate with people’s desires and imagination by providing alternative possibilities to work toward. In this way, they may contribute to a vision for a broad-based movement against surveillance.

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Public surveillance is not yet as wide-spread in Canada as it is in other nations, such as the UK. However, there has been more public and institutional support for video monitoring of public spaces following 9/11. The Federal Privacy Commissioner, has issued recommendations for closed-circuit tv (CCTV) use. As well, the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic has created an online resource on public video surveillance in Canada.