“Participation” models for environmental stewardship: roots, trajectories, and core principles from environmental communication and participatory communication for social change

Abstract “Participation” in the research trajectories of Participatory Communication for Social Change (PCSC) and Environmental Communication (EC) has been driven by many of the same points of concern, such as community engagement and decision-making power tied to conflict and cooperation. Despite these overlaps, the two subfields have largely developed their understanding of participation in isolation. To help bridge this gap, this article traces the roots and trajectories of PCSC’s and EC’s elaboration of participation through a review of the theoretical contributions and conceptual directions of key thinkers and guiding principles. This inventory is concluded by comparing the two subfields’ main features and common challenges. The article ends with recommendations for charting future paths of research and practice in environmental governance.