About SJSC

About SJSC

The Social Justice and Social Change Research Group (SJSC) conducts collaborative, participatory research principally focused on the following programs.

Research Program Areas:

• Challenging ageism in Childhood, Youth and Ageing
• Place, Communities and Social Capital
• Population Health and Equity
• Personal and Ethical Aspects of Social Justice

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A distinguishing characteristic of our work is the emphasis on deeply engaging with the voices, values and perspectives of the people whose experiences are being researched. SJSC aims to bring those views to the attention of government, service providers and the broader community. For marginalised groups, SJSC promotes access to information, self-expression and participation in decisions that affect them.

SJSC is committed to building research partnerships with a broad range of organisations and communities in Western Sydney, as well as at national and international levels.

Areas of Expertise

• Children and Childhood
• Urban Housing, Planning and Community Development
• Care and Caring
• Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy and Practice
• Social Determinants of Health, Public and Community Health
• Social Justice and Faith in the Context of Religious and Spiritual Change
• Community Engagement, Linkages, Activism and Practice

Aims and Values

SJSC aspires to be a centre of excellence and innovation for applied research on social justice and the processes of social change. SJSC is committed to developing collaborative partnerships with individuals, agencies and institutions for whom social justice is a crucial issue. SJSC aims to:

• Engage in research that contributes to social change, through a focus on issues associated with our core values of Participation, Inclusion and Equity.
• Encourage research collaboration between academics and the Western Sydney community, including policy makers and practitioners.
• Facilitate an ongoing exchange of resources, expertise and knowledge between members of SJSC and its associates, community groups and interested individuals, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
• Use and develop methodologies of research consistent with loosening the boundaries between researchers and subjects, and between the academy and the community. Methods will be imbued by the imperatives of participation, inclusion and the recognition of multiple subjectivities.

Provide a research facility that will attract students, scholars and community members to engage and contribute to ongoing activities aimed at social change towards a just society.

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Location

The Social Justice and Social Change Research Group is located in Building 1 (PDF, 1940Kb) on the Bankstown Campus.

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History

The SJSC Research Group was launched as the Social Justice Social Change Research Centre on Thursday, 6 November 2003 by former Prime Minister, The Honourable Gough Whitlam, AC QC. Mr Whitlam also gave the official address which can be found at the Whitlam Institute.

SJSC emerged from the recognition of research synergies of individual scholars and research groups in the School of Social Sciences and other researchers with whom they had productive associations.

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