ABSTRACT
The goal of this book is to offer points of intersection between the theory and praxis of social change communication, with the broader agenda of creating theoretical entry points for the praxis of social change. The conceptualization of social change is integral to the ways in which we practice social change initiatives, the strategies developed in these initiatives, the implementation of the initiatives, and the ways in which these initiatives are measured (Dutta, 2008a, 2008b, 2008c; Gumucio-Dagron & Tufte, 2006; Melkote & Steeves, 2001). Social change efforts problematize existing social configurations; these problem configurations offer the primary foundations for developing social change agendas. Essential to a communicative engagement with social change is the deployment of communication for the purposes of change in social systems (Gumucio-Dagron & Tufte, 2006; Rogers, 1962, 1973; Schramm, 1964). Social change communication, therefore, foregrounds the role of communication solutions in addressing social problems. Worth emphasizing here is the framing of social change issues within a broader communicative lens, and it is within this communicative frame that solutions are proposed for bringing about change in the social systems.
