Dr Valentina Bau

I am a Senior Research Fellow at Western Sydney University, Institute for Culture and Society. I am also an Honorary Senior Lecturer at UNSW. I conduct research on the application of Communication for Development in Peacebuilding with a focus on realities affected by violent conflict and forced displacement. I explore and evaluate new communication for development approaches that employ different media and communication channels to contribute to social change and sustainable peace in the aftermath of (or during) violence. I also look at the application of communication for development for citizen engagement and youth participation in governance and peacebuilding. My more recent work has begun to explore the use of Communication for Development in the context of crisis response interventions, with the aim of developing new frameworks that can link the implementation of applied research with the production of theoretical knowledge, whose translation can inform practice. I am currently Chief Investigator on an Australia Research Council Discovery Award on Development Communication, Media and Peace in Protracted Displacement. This three year project (2022-2024) investigates the use of media and communication from humanitarian organisations in promoting peace and social cohesion among young refugees living in camps; the aim is to develop a new a approach that brings together C4D and CwC in complex settings of protracted encampment.

My PhD has looked at the ways in which participatory media can be used as storytelling tools to share experiences of war among hostile communities in the aftermath of a civil war, and how sharing stories through the media can facilitate healing and reconciliation. As part of my doctorate project, I worked on the evaluation of two participatory media activities implemented in Kenya in the aftermath of the 2007/2008 Post-Election Violence. I assessed the impact of these projects in relation to ethnic reconciliation between and among communities in specific areas of the Rift Valley, where I spent three months interviewing both victims and perpetrators of the 2007/2008 conflict who have been in contact with these media productions.

More generally, I am also interested in looking at the different ways communication can be used in development contexts (particularly in post-conflict settings), as well as in understanding the impact that an introduction to the use of the media has on communities living in extreme poverty. I collaborate with UNICEF and other international NGOs on different projects related to Communication for Development and media for peace.

Prior to the start of my academic career, I have worked as an international development professional for various non-governmental organisations, government departments and the United Nations, both in Head Offices and in Country Offices in African settings. 

I am a Thematic Editor for Development in Practice journal, an Associate Editor for the Journal of Creative Communications, and an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Applied Journalism and Media Studies.

To find out more about my research and publications, visit my research profile page on Academia.edu.au or my website www.c4dpeace.com.