*/The International Journal of Communication (IJoC), in collaboration 
with the Social Science Research Council, /*has just published a series 
of contributions from invited participants to the IJoC/SSRC Forum on 
"Making Communication Research Matter". This Special Feature focuses on 
how and why engaged research should be conducted.//

Topics include an exploration of how researchers can include and 
collaborate with under-represented populations (for whom should our 
research matter?); an examination of how different roles (practitioner, 
academic and activist) can overlap and complement each other to support 
the community radio cause in the policy arena; an analysis of the 
obstacles and methodological challenges of working with grassroots 
activists (how can different organizational cultures talk to each 
other?); and a discussion of how personal and collective processes of 
reflection and action can empower researchers and practitioners in 
understanding dynamics of power and participation.

The papers constitute the building blocks of an epistemology of engaged 
research. They are highly relevant for communications and media 
scholars, as well as for students of social movements, policy and 
governance, and methods for social research.

Titles include:

Stefania Milan: Introduction: Toward An Epistemology of Engaged Research
Charlotte Ryan, Vanessa Salas-Wright, Mike Anastario, and Gabriel Cámara 
Cervera: Making Research Matter... Matter to Whom?
Arne Hintz and Stefania Milan: Social Science is Police Science: 
Researching Grass-Roots Activism
Peter Lewis: Scenes from a Community Radio Campaign, 1972-2009: 
Un/Masking Objectivity
Jethro Pettit: Learning to do Action Research for Social Science

They are published in the Feature section of the International Journal 
of Communication, 4(2010), and available for download at:
http://ijoc.org/ojs/index.php/ijoc.

-- 
*Stefania Milan, PhD* || Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, 
European University Institute & Research Fellow Center for Media and 
Communication Studies, Central European University || Via delle 
Fontanelle 19 I-50014 - San Domenico di Fiesole (FI) - Italy || mobile: 
[+39] 333 - 2309945 || office: [+39] 055 4685 - 729 || Fax [+39] 055 
4685 - 770 || *http://www.stefaniamilan.net/* ||