communication_theory_as_a_field.pdf

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1、CommunicationTheoryNine:TwoRobertT.CraigMay1999Pages119-161CommunicationTheoryasaFieldThisessayreconstructscommunicationtheoryasadialogical-dialecti-calfieldaccordingtotwoprinciples:theconstitutivemodelofcom-municationasametamode1andtheoryasmetadiscursivepractice.Theessaya

2、rguesthatallcommunicationtheoriesaremutuallyrelevantwhenaddressedtoapracticallifeworldinwhich“communication”isalreadyarichlymeaningfulterm.Eachtraditionofcommunicationtheoryderivesfromandappealsrhetoricallytocertaincommonplacebeliefsaboutcommunicationwhilechallengingotherb

3、eliefs.Thecomplementaritiesandtensionsamongtraditionsgenerateatheoreti-calmetadiscoursethatintersectswithandpotentiallyinformstheongoingpracticalmetadiscourseinsociety.Inatentativeschemeofthefield,rhetorical,semiotic,phenomenological,cybernetic,socio-psychological,sociocul

4、tural,andcriticaltraditionsofcommunicationtheoryaredistinguishedbycharacteristicwaysofdefiningcommuni-cationandproblemsofcommunication,metadiscursivevocabularies,andmetadiscursivecommonplacesthattheyappealtoandchallenge.Topoiforargumentationacrosstraditionsaresuggestedandi

5、mplica-tionsfortheoreticalworkanddisciplinarypracticeinthefieldareconsidered.Communicationtheoryisenormouslyrichintherangeofideasthatfallwithinitsnominalscope,andnewtheoreticalworkoncommunicationhasrecentlybeenflourishing.’Nevertheless,despitetheancientrootsandgrowingprofu

6、sionoftheoriesaboutcommunication,Iarguethatcommunicationtheoryasanidentifiablefieldofstudydoesnotyetexist.2Ratherthanaddressingafieldoftheory,weappeartobeoperatingprimarilyinseparatedomains.Booksandarticlesoncommunicationtheoryseldommentionotherworksoncommunicationtheoryex

7、ceptwithinnarrow(inter)disciplinaryspecialtiesandschoolsofthought.’Exceptwithintheselittlegroups,communicationtheoristsapparentlyneitheragreenordisagreeaboutmuchofanything.Thereisnocanonofgeneraltheorytowhichtheyallrefer.TherearenocommongoalsthatCopyright01999International

8、CommunicationAssociation119CommunicationTheoryunitethem,nocontentiousissuesthatdividethem