Taking Root: Media, Community, and Belonging in Ottawa


My thesis examines the media consumption and production practices of Ottawa’s Chinese, Spanish speaking Latin American, and Somali communities in order to explore the communicational dimensions of newcomer and immigrant inclusion, integration, and civic participation. Specifically, I identify and compare the ways in which ethno-cultural media form part of local ethno-cultural communication networks, and contribute to the collective capacity of ethno-cultural communities to facilitate the process of becoming part of a community and forming a sense of belonging among newcomers to Ottawa. In order to explore this research question I make use of data collected as part of the Ottawa Multicultural Media Initiative employing a collective capacity theoretical framework which brings together insights from post-Gramscian theory (Day, R), social capital theory (Putnam, R.), and communication infrastructure theory (Ball-Rokeach, S.J). The thesis also incorporates insight from the scholarship and research publications of Canadian and international ethno-cultural media and immigrant integrations researchers.

April Carrière
Degree: PhD
Status: Completed
Supervisor: Caroline Andrew
Department and University: Department of Political Science, University of Ottawa
Email: aprilcarriere@gmail.com
Link to completed thesis: https://ruor.uottawa.ca/handle/10393/35247