Communication for social change
Our timely research addresses growing wealth and environmental inequalities within the context of new media and technology disruptions that prompt fresh thinking about processes of social and political change.
We explore contemporary approaches to communication for social change in global and local contexts, including citizen engagement, collective action, edutainment, community media, entrepreneurial changemaking, media development, and social movements.
We address wide-ranging issues including tackling the stigma around disability, adult education among young adults at risk of social exclusion, fostering active citizenship among vulnerable young people, and the promotion of heathy lifestyles, gender equality and sexual education.
Breaking the stigma of disability
It is believed that a lack of understanding about disability and the needs of persons with disabilities can create exclusion within communities.
The stigma around disability is also thought to be one of the barriers to the usage, development, and delivery of better AT adoption, including wheelchairs, hearing aids, prothesis, and glasses in low and middle-income countries which can lead to poor standards of living for people with an impairment.
Para Sport Against Stigma
This £1.9M Department for International Development-funded project aims to overcome stigma and discrimination against people with disabilities in Africa. In collaboration with the International Paralympic Committee, focused on the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics, with partners in Malawi, Ghana, and Zambia, we are investigating the use of Para sport as a catalyst for change in attitudes about disability and assistive technology.
Meet the expert
Media use among Amazon riverside communities
The protection of the Amazon depends, to a large extent, on the way livelihood is envisaged. It is important to build communication with those affected by the news and, if possible, use it to change negative situations.
Youth designing the future: Media usage and visions of development in the Amazon
A Leverhulme-funded research project is investigating how young Amazonians, living in riverside communities, consume and produce information to discuss how they build and voice their vision of development. It aims to develop a robust research programme around young Amazonian’s use of the media, their aspirations, and attitudes towards development and its impact on their home.
