Karen Dsouza

PEER REVIEW Congratulations on your incisive thesis on Ms. Wrangborg’s poetry. Your study accurately reflects the time and effort that you have taken to delve into the very soul of Ms. Wrangborg’s activism to champion the underbelly of the service sector. The methodology employed by your study shows a comparison between the Ms. Wrangborg and other activist-poets of her genre, who also seek to speak of the travails of the working class, bringing their voice to a wider audience, through the medium of poetry. The study is evocative of impelling forethought, in addressing the existential, circumstantial and emotional issues of the working class of the service sector. Through this study, one seems to attempt, not just the voicing of the exploitation, but also, at arousing some dialogue that will act as a balm, addressing sociological as well as political aspects of the issues at hand. The subjugation of Human Rights has been alluded to, in the comparative literature, as well as the thematic fulcrum of Ms. Wrangborg’s work and yet, there is room for greater introspection and discovery, which could well be incorporated in the research question or hypothesis, as the case may be. Strengths: Your study reflects a clear and decisive stance on the need, use and theoretical framework that gives form to the comparative study of the work of Ms. Wrangborg and other activist poets of her genre. The structure of the thesis is indeed well planned and eases a reader into the subject, providing layer upon layer of context in terms of literature review, participatory communication, Communication for Development etc. The research into similar worker-poets whose own body of work is harmonious with Ms. Wrangborg’s work is impressive. I was delighted to learn of Prendergast and Freeman’s convergence with a rhetoric that not just supports but also amplifies the voice and substance of Ms. Wrangborg’s work. The way humans relate to one another has taken on increased significance, in light of the devastation wrought by COVID, where entire families were wiped out. This thesis touches upon the burning topic of making life dignified for all, which is exactly the opposite of the dehumanization of the worker in the service industry. Weaknesses: Being an admirer of Ms. Wrangborg’s work, I do believe there are several layers that remain to be analyzed for a complete exposition on the intent and motivation that underlies her use of poetry as a literary device, versus other devices. The limitation of participatory communication is the quality of communication that drives this feedback mechanism, where one voice is heard over another. The inherent drawback here would be best balanced by employing denser literature review, supporting the same through the views of Bentham or Salmond, both practitioners of Jurisprudence. I would definitely have liked to hear more of Development Communication, on its own merit, standing free of the ideas of Participatory Communication, which is collective. Additional thoughts … It would have been lovely to understand the C4D aspect of Ms. Wrangborg’s body of work, quantifying the actual effects of such literature in impacting social and political timelines. What aspect of research do you think could have been better assimilated into this thesis, to aptly address this concern? Though gender has been mentioned in the thesis as it is inherent in some of the work by Ms. Wrangborg, there is yet not enough voice given to explore the particular impact on the gender disparity or susceptibility of the exploitation of women, in the service industry. I would like to know more about this aspect. Would that you would have employed other research methods, like survey or random sampling, it would be interesting to poll for a reader’s perception of the messaging that lies within Ms. Wrangborg’s work and whether, it would be sufficient to actually cause dialogue? I have learnt a lot of participatory communication as a vehicle for change, through this review. Thank you for the opportunity to review your work! Bravo and well done!