‘Communicating for Change’ published by Loughborough University London Academics

Five academics from the Institute for Media and Creative Industries have contributed to a new book entitled ‘Communicating for Change: Concepts to think with’ as part of the Palgrave Studies of Communication for Social Change series.

Communicating for Change, is edited by Professors Jo Tacchi and Thomas Tufte. The volume has collected together some of the latest conceptual thinking in the field and offers interdisciplinary and conceptual reflections on the role of communication in processes of change.

Given the current fast pace of social-economic, political and technological change across the globe, and the central role of communication in this, there is a growing need to reconceptualize how we approach communication and change to help expand and enrich our scholarly and practical work. 

The volume presents 14 concepts from a multi-disciplinary collection of internationally leading and emerging scholars from 13 countries across 5 continents. They come together around three meta-topics: citizenship and justice, critiques of development, and renewing thought (from and for the margins). The short chapter format ensures that authors get straight to the pinnacle of their ideas, providing readers — students, scholars and practitioners alike — with accessible, engaging and innovative ways to think critically about communication and social change, in new ways.

Professor Thomas Tufte, Director of the Institute for Media and Creative Industries, said:

"I am glad to see this book materialize. It is timely, for use on MA programs like our own program ‘Global Communication and Development’. The book offers novel and thought-provoking perceptions of communication in processes of change, relevant also in debates about development, so our School will also use it in the MA program in International Development that we are launching in 2021."

Professor Jo Tacchi, Associate Dean for Research and Professor within the Institute for Media and Creative Industries, said:

"In this collection we present a set of concepts that capture the renewal of thinking in the field of communication for social change as it is happening. The book emerged from a conceptual hackathon, held at Loughborough London in late 2017. At that time only two of the contributors worked here, but as we publish the book, five of the authors work here This marks our commitment to being a global research leader in this field."

The book includes concept chapters from Tacchi and Tufte, and Drs Jessica Noske-Turner, Amalia Sabiescu, and Ana Cristina Suzina, all from Loughborough University London's Institute for Media and Creative Industries.

Reviewing the book, Professor Silvio Waisbord, Professor of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University, said:

"This is a much-needed, state-of-the-art book about key concepts in communication for social change. With contributions from a diverse, global group of scholars, the book makes a compelling case for why matters of voice and social justice need to be central to the way we approach the intersection between communication and social change."

For further information about the book or to order your copy, please visit the Palgrave website.

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