August, 9, 2013

Participation is one of the core themes of this dissertation. Since it is a concept that is elastic, and which meaning can cover a wide range of spheres it is necessary to limit it. I will use the theoretical model of Nico Carpentier for understanding participation, and in particular, participation in the media sphere. I will emphasize this kind of participation, especially because by doing that I will able to connect this theme with the ones of literacies (new media literacies/digital) and creativity. However, I also will also try to address how the participation in the media sphere, although limited for the hispanic/latino youth of my study, is also connected to other forms of participation in other spheres, such as the peer world, the afterschool, and the school world.

The challenge for me is to understand participation in and through media as something that is multidirectional and that is also influenced by the positionality of the actors/agents in the society. The structural position of these agents, and their families, creates posibilities of participation not only in the media sphere, but in many other spheres such as the economic, political, cultural, and geographic ones.