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As debates over social justice grow increasingly polarized, a new book by School of Communication alumnus and Western Washington University professor Michael Karlberg argues that activists need to rethink not just what social justice means, but how it is pursued. In Rethinking Social Justice Theory and Action in an Age of Transition, co-authored with Claremont McKenna College professor Derik Smith, the authors argue that the future of social justice lies less in endless contests of power and more in actively constructing a more just social reality.

鈥淚 think the School of Communication has always been strong in supporting new approaches and interdisciplinary work. All my research was possible because of the philosophy and approach of the School,鈥� says Karlberg.

This book comes at an important time, with the current backlash against movements for social justice causing many to rethink their approaches. According to Karlberg, this backlash has been prompted partly by how social justice tends to be conceptualized. The book explains that the prevailing focus on distributive justice invites zero-sum thinking, where one group benefits at another鈥檚 expense.

鈥淚n the book we argue that 鈥榗ontributive justice鈥� offers a more productive and meaningful vision of social justice. Contributive justice comprises the social conditions necessary for every individual or group to develop their capacities to contribute to the betterment of society,鈥� says Karlberg. 鈥淭his is not a zero-sum game. Everyone benefits from such conditions.鈥�

The book proposes that movements for social justice might also reconsider the primary means by which they pursue it. Contentious politics, it argues, has reached a point of diminishing returns. More attention now needs to be paid to actively building the world we want to live in through what the authors call 鈥渞adical constructive agency鈥�. Through this, Karlberg urges readers to adjust, not abandon, their approaches to social justice.

The book was recently published by Open Book Publishers, an award-winning peer-reviewed open-source academic press out of Cambridge. The book has been very well received and is already making a significant contribution to academic and public discourse.

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