Reconceptualising communication for development: an introduction

Communication plays a crucial role in driving social change. Communication for Development (C4D) is a field that highlights the importance of communication in development, concentrating on how to effectively use a diverse range of media and communication channels that enable the inclusion, expression, and exchange of different voices in the development process in order to bring about social transformation. Over the past few decades, C4D has undergone both an evolution and a revolution in its approaches and methods. This has led to the growth of a distinctive and at the same time diverse field, both theoretically and in practical forms. This Special Issue reviews critically the reconceptualisation of C4D that has progressively occurred and from which an interesting and at times contested landscape has emerged. It presents a range of both scholarly and practical perspectives that provide a comprehensive account of what the field has to offer today. This essay provides both a conceptual and historical introduction to the collection of articles included in this Issue and positions them within the new propositions and methods of the present-day field of C4D.