Abstract
This is the introductory chapter of The Handbook of Development Communication and Social Change, which offers a valuable resource for advocates, scholars, and communities engaged in long‐term and comprehensive struggles for social justice. The book also offers a comprehensive framework in a growing area of research and action, as social movements and organizations make strategic use of communication technologies and processes in a complex world of dominant global industries and oppressive political regimes. The book integrates the interests of many of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) sections, including that of participatory communication, health communication, community communication, communication policy and technology, gender and communication, political communication, and political economy. The book examines this proliferation of approaches to communication, media development, and social change. It provides an overview of the existing conceptual and practical strands within this field, and identifies promising directions for future research and intervention.