Participatory Communication for Social Change

Jan Servaes (Ph.D., 1987, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium) is Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (USA), Editor-in-Chief of Communication for Development and Social Change: A Global Journal (Hampton Press), Associate Editor of Telematics and Informatics: An International Journal on Telecommunications and Internet Technology (Elsevier), Editor of the Southbound Book Series Communication for Development and Social Change, and Editor of the Hampton Book Series Communication, Globalization and Cultural Identity. He chaired the Scientific Committee for the World Congress on Communication for Development (Rome, 25-27 October 2006), organized by the World Bank, FAO and the Communication Initiative.

Servaes has taught International Communication and Development Communication in Australia (Brisbane), Belgium (Brussels and Antwerp), the USA (Cornell), the Netherlands (Nijmegen) and Thailand (Thammasat, Bangkok). He has been President of the European Consortium for Communications Research (ECCR, www.eccr.info) and Vice-President of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR, www.iamcr.net), in charge of Academic Publications and Research, from 2000 to 2004.

Servaes has undertaken research, development, and advisory work around the world and is known as the author of journal articles and books on such topics as international and development communication; ICT and media policies; intercultural communication and language; participation and social change; and human rights and conflict management.

Shirley A White is Professor Emeritus within the Department of Communication at Cornell University. She has also served as Associate Director of the Cooperative Extension for Cornell University and Chairman of the Department of Extension Home Economics, Kansas State University.