In these times of crisis and transition, we need a better appreciation of the role of discourse and practice in creating and managing transition in periods of turbulent social change.

The Centre is concerned with how to apply discursive approaches to managing transitions democratically, with an emphasis on social and global justice. Furthermore, while discourses shape transitions, transitions also transform discourses, so the Centre has an additional focus on tracking how and why discourses themselves are transformed for a variety of reasons and purposes.

Researchers affiliated to C-DiT draw upon many of the theories and methods that go under the umbrella of discourse studies, but they are also supplemented by other qualitative methods in both the humanities and the social sciences. Methods that spring to mind include critical discourse analysis, nexus analysis, public consultative discourse analysis, discourse theory, positive discourse analysis, prefigurative discourse analysis, communication for social change, communication activism, and applied global discourse studies.