Deconstructing Representations of "The Other" in the Online Media of Canadian Based Non-Governmental Organizations

Abstract

Deconstructing visual representations of the Self and Other in the online media of NGOs, this thesis is grounded in postdevelopment and postcolonial theories. Visual culture and emerging digital technologies are crucial to identity construction, and NGOs are a major purveyor of representations of those in the developing world. Evaluating image use by Canadian based NGOs, this thesis unites theoretical concepts of visual representation with concrete photographic depictions and structured content analysis to investigate multiple and changing development discourses. Considerable literature has focused on the notion of the Self and Other dichotomy especially as it relates to international relations. Positioned in an era of polycentric global governance, NGOs are professionalized groups whose power is often obscured by charitable discourses. Despite the humanitarian and altruistic aims of the NGOs selected for the study, data demonstrates the implications of their image use for development discourse and practices.