On Friday 26 April, Prof Dr Martine Bouman will present her public valedictory lecture. She is a globally respected pioneer and international expert on Entertainment-Education strategy. Bouman was at the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication from 2015 to 2023. Her research focuses on media use, popular culture, storytelling, health communication, low literacy, and socio-economic health inequalities.
Several studies show that large socioeconomic health disparities persist. Groups with a low socioeconomic status live on average seven years shorter than groups with a high status, and on average experience health problems twelve years earlier. Over 25% of the Dutch population has (very) limited health literacy, that means difficulty finding information about health and illness and understanding how to apply it.
"We hardly reach the people who need our information on healthier lifestyles the most, for instance because they are not used to processing complex language and a high level of abstraction. So, we need other communication methods to reach them. A soapy with an STD works better than a brochure"’
Bouman has researched the collaboration between health organisations and creative media professionals to bring social issues (such as health, sustainability, and social tolerance) into the limelight through entertainment formats. This is scientifically known as the Entertainment-Education (EE) strategy.
"If a TV series is very popular, it is of course nice when writers address social issues that are both topical and accurate. Of course, as a writer, you can google for information yourself, but there is so much out there and by no means everything is scientifically based."
Currently, the NPO (Dutch public broadcaster) is under pressure. The debate about the number of channels is not only about the representation of political schools of thought, but also about whether all entertainment would not be better left to the commercials.
‘I think public broadcasting is precisely where value-added entertainment fits in. Commercial channels would probably not make a highly informative drama like De Joodse Raad (The Jewish Council), or a great intergenerational series like Oogappels (Apple of my Eye). In these programmes, social added value and attractive drama are in a unique balance that can make a difference to many viewers.’
Socially, therefore, more important than the current political wind is the long term, and a common spot on the horizon. That a constructive partnership with public broadcasters is possible is shown by previous examples. At the time, Bouman was at the cradle of the daily television programme Nederland in Beweging (The Netherlands in Exercise).
'That programme did not come out of the blue. It was initiated and guided by health organisations, accompanied by good research, and still meets an important social need every day.'
Bouman is retiring from Erasmus University, but will remain active in her advisory and board positions.
About Martine Bouman
Prof Dr M.P.A. (Martine) Bouman was associated with the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC), as associate professor of Entertainment Media and Social Change. In 1999, she published her seminal dissertation 'The Turtle and the Peacock: the Entertainment-Education Strategy on Television'. Bouman has been scientific director of the Centrum Media & Gezondheid in Gouda since 1999.
For her innovative research and experiments, Bouman has received several prestigious awards, including the Everett Rogers Award for Entertainment Education Achievement (2010), the Gouden Reiger Award (2010), the ZonMw Parel (2017) and the Marc Cornelissen Brightlands Award (2017).
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