[ecrea] Call for submissions/Special Issue of JoC: Communication for Development and Social Change: Experiences & Future Convergences

*Call for submissions for special issue of the /Journal of Communication/*

**

*“Communication for Development and Social Change: Experiences & Future 
Convergences”*

**

*Guest editors: *Thomas Tufte and Rafael Obregon

Communication for development and social change is at the crossroads of 
multiple approaches in communication scholarship, including visual 
communication, organizational communication, media and communication 
technologies, intercultural communication, and other communication 
practices. It also constitutes an established practice carried out and 
supported by agencies in international development and cooperation. In 
recent years, we have seen a proliferation of experiences and 
approaches, led by global partnerships and alliances as well as civil 
society organizations which, in many cases, crystallized in social 
movements across the globe.

In the aftermath of the financial crisis in 2008 and the so-called ‘Arab 
Spring’, social movements came to represent a rich and heterogeneous 
amount of bottom-up citizen and community-driven initiatives. They are 
cause-driven mobilizations pursuing goals across various issues and 
sectors, including public health, education urban development, 
sustainable development, and children’s and women’s rights. Recent 
humanitarian crises, such as the Ebola crisis and the refugee crises, 
have led to a widespread citizen engagement through a variety of social 
change communication and community-led initiatives.

In this processes, digital media and digital-centered forms of 
mobilization have been crucial, but also contested. The debate has moved 
beyond the initial techno-determinist fascination with  so-called 
“Facebook” and “Twitter” mobilizations to the recognition of complex and 
dynamic relations between online and offline communication, 
organizations and social change, movements and media, performance and 
protest, communication and public deliberation, as well as among a 
variety of actors including communities, non-governmental and 
governmental organizations, movements, and companies pursuing similar 
agendas.

The energy, creativity, discourses, tactics, and strategies through 
which various political and social actors communicate for social change 
have come to challenge and inspire both research and practice. Many 
governmental and non-governmental organizations are seeking ways and 
means to reach and connect with constituencies, spark new energy, drive 
stronger public and policy agendas, build social movements, and promote 
social change.

Against this backdrop, the focus of this special issue of the /Journal 
of Communication/ is to offer an in-depth understanding of the role of 
communication in social movements and various forms of collective action 
that promote equity, social justice, and human rights by tackling a 
range of global social problems.

   We invite authors to send submissions informed by various 
theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches in communication 
studies.  We are interested in submissions that:

-Revisit communication and social change theories, models, and arguments 
that inform research about communication in times of digital media and 
widespread citizen engagement.

-Examine case studies that bring original theoretical, analytical and 
conceptual insights about new dynamics of citizen engagement, 
organizational communication, and other communication practices related 
to multiple dimensions of social change.

-Critically reflect upon opportunities and limitations that social 
movements, organizations, non-government organizations, community-based 
organizations, and other civil society actors confront to spark 
communication, citizen engagement, and promote social change.

-Address communication experiences in a wide range of policy and 
development sectors and issues, including health, environment, poverty 
alleviation, energy, labor, culture, religion, diversity, gender 
equality, social accountability, and social inclusion.

Manuscripts should not exceed 28 pages (6000 words), including 
references and figures, and must be submitted through the online 
submission system of the /Journal of Communication/ 
(https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jcom_)_. Authors should indicate that 
they wish to have their manuscript considered for the special issue. 
Information about author guidelines can be found in the Journal of 
Communication website 
(http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1460-2466_)_.

Deadline for submissions:  December 1, 2016.

Inquiries should be sent to Dr. Thomas Tufte ((ttufte /at/ ruc.dk) 
<mailto:(ttufte /at/ ruc.dk)>) and Dr. Rafael Obregon ((robregon /at/ unicef.org) 
<mailto:(robregon /at/ unicef.org)>).

This theme issue will be published in 2017.

------

Thomas Tufte, Professor, Roskilde University, Denmark

Email: (ttufte /at/ ruc.dk) <mailto:(ttufte /at/ ruc.dk)>

http://www.ruc.dk/komm/Ansatte/vip/ttufte/or 
http://ruc-dk.academia.edu/ThomasTufte

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