Communication Activism for Social Justice Research

Abstract

This chapter offers an overview of communication activism research. It explains the principles and practices that characterize the research. The chapter discusses what the literature reveals about characteristics of, and future directions for, this important form of applied communication research (ACR). Communication activism research (CAR), the second generation of the social justice ACR approach, focuses on scholars taking that next step of engaging in social justice activism. Social justice issues related to race and class are intertwined, given continuing legacies of White supremacist policies and colonialism across the world that have limited educational, economic, and other opportunities for people of color. CAR scholars make the important ethical choice of standing against domination and its resulting social injustices. Given the scope of the digital divide, CAR scholars have intervened to increase marginalized populations’ media access and literacy.