Social Change, Care and Justice

New knowledge informing social change is inevitably interdisciplinary and focused on making an impact.

We work across diverse populations, settings and social contexts to identify and understand societal needs and to engage with individuals, groups, and organisations on social change. DSC researchers create social impact from design and arts research but also through our work on social and global studies and policy, education and a range of disciplines spanning gender studies, development studies, criminology, social justice studies and indigenous studies. Across the arts, design and social sciences, we have broad cross-disciplinary expertise in experimental and artistic interventions to promote sustainability, inclusion and social transformation. We also have world-leading expertise in innovative approaches to research through the Digital Ethnography Research Centre.

Research Centres and Groups

Digital Ethnography Research Centre

The Digital Ethnography Research Centre undertakes comprehensive research on the everyday lived experience of digital cultures, mobile media, platforms, workplaces and settings. Working with a wide array of partners and collaborators in Australia and internationally, we undertake people-centric data collection, design and analysis to help governments, industry and the community make sense of changing factors in our digital lives, including digital harms, AI, disinformation, emergent mobile technologies and online economies.

Social Equity Research Centre

Launched in 2023, the Social Equity Research Centre provides a platform for a multidisciplinary community of practice across a range of thematic areas related to delivering transformational research for social justice and equity. Working in partnership we generate excellent innovative research that drives policy and practice transformation.

Contemporary Art and Social Transformation

CAST produces art research that critically engages with social and public spheres with a particular interest in how artistic practices intersect with issues of equity, access and democracy. CAST is a hub for critical thinking, collaboration and the exchange of ideas, knowledge dissemination, practice-led artistic research and socially-engaged art practice. CAST engages on local and international levels by collaborating with practitioners, communities, industry, and government partners.

Communication and Change Co-Lab

The Communication and Change Co-Lab (3C) explores ideas of change within communication contexts to develop new perspectives into communication approaches, processes, and practices. 3C emphasises collaborative scholarship of communication and change.

Creative Agency

The Creative Agency Research Lab is a thriving hub for multi-disciplinary studies of creativity across the life-course. We are an open community of researchers, educators, creative practitioners, and industry professionals who share a commitment to creativity as a catalyst for social change in response to global challenges. Our members are actively developing new ways to address the most pressing issues of our times, including climate change, socio-economic inequality, the mental health crisis, and rapid advances in science and technology.

non/fictionLab

The non/fictionLab is an interdisciplinary research ecology bringing together creative experimentation, critical practice and social engagement: we aim to reimagine and transform contemporary realities through language, mediations, poetics and collaborations. The non/fictionLab is an interdisciplinary Research Group in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University. Closely aligned with the discipline of Writing and Publishing, the Lab focuses on research into writing and allied creative arts and design practices.

News

Australian content lacking for children and tweens, RMIT report warns

Australia’s children’s television sector is at risk of collapse, leaving a widening gap in local content for children and tweens at a cultural moment when governments urgently seek to strengthen youth social cohesion.

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Fast-food waste driven by wrong orders: study

A review into food waste in Australia’s quick service restaurants has found order mistakes are the biggest driver of food waste, with better staff training a key part of the solution.

Creating healthier and more equitable communities in Bangkok

An urban liveability framework developed by RMIT researchers and led by Professor Hannah Badland is guiding long-term planning to design healthier neighbourhoods, improving access to services and supporting more equitable urban development in Bangkok.

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Social Change, Care and Justice