Communication Activism Research for Social Justice: Engaged Research, Collective Action, and Political Change

Communication scholars have taken seriously the call for engaged scholarship, and this book examines the principles, practices, and outcomes of communication activism research for social justice.

Communication activism research differs from other engaged communication scholarship through researchers promoting social justice, intervening collaboratively, and creating or assisting established collective actors that represent marginalized communities. Collective actors examined in this book include Black Lives Matter, the feminist movement, and LGBTQ+ groups. This book provides practical guidance on how to perform communication activism research, offering recommendations for managing its challenges and discussing qualitative and quantitative methods for evaluating research interventions focusing on significant contemporary issues.

This book will appeal to scholars who study and teach communication and social justice activism as well as scholars from disciplines such as sociology, and it is ideal as a text in courses on communication and activism, engaged communication scholarship, communication and social movements, and communication research methods.

Kevin M. Carragee is a professor in the Communication, Journalism and Media Department at Suffolk University, USA. Working with Lawrence Frey, he developed communication activism research as a distinct form of engaged communication scholarship. A Fulbright scholar, he has edited six books and published more than 30 journal articles and book chapters, focusing primarily on how the new media define social movements. As a Co-Director of the Media Research and Action Project, he assisted groups in framing their messages, influencing news coverage, and securing reforms.