Pages 119-161 Communication Theory as a FieldThis essay reconstructs communication theory as a dialogical-dialectical field according to two principles: the constitutive model of communication as a metamodel and theory as metadiscursive practice. The essay argues that all communication theories are mutually relevant when addressed to a practical lifeworld in which "communication" is already a richly meaningful term. Each tradition of communication theory derives from and appeals rhetorically to certain commonplace beliefs about communication while challenging other beliefs. The complementarities and tensions among traditions generate a theoretical metadiscourse that intersects with and potentially informs the ongoing practical metadiscourse in society. In a tentative scheme of the field, rhetorical, semiotic, phenomenological, cybernetic, sociopsychological, sociocultural, and critical traditions of communication theory are distinguished by characteristic ways of defining communication and problems of communication, metadiscursive vocabularies, and metadiscursive commonplaces that they appeal to and challenge. Topoi for argumentation across traditions are suggested and implications for theoretical work and disciplinary practice in the field are considered.Communication theory is enormously rich in the range of ideas that fall within its nominal scope, and new theoretical work on communication has recently been flourishing.' Nevertheless, despite the ancient roots and growing profusion of theories about communication, I argue that communication theory as an identifiable field of study does not yet exist.2Rather than addressing a field of theory, we appear to be operating primarily in separate domains. Books and articles on communication theory seldom mention other works on communication theory except within narrow (inter)disciplinary specialties and schools of t h~u g h t .~ Except within these little groups, communication theorists apparently neither agree nor disagree about much of anything. There is no canon of general theory to which they all refer. There are no common goals that Copyright 0 1999 International Communication Association 119 Communication Theoryunite them, no contentious issues that divide them. For the most part, they simply ignore each ~t h e r .~ College courses in communication theory are increasingly offered at all levels, and numerous textbooks are being published. However, a closer look at their contents only further demonstrates that, although there exist many theories of communication-indeed, way too many different theories to teach effectively in any one course-there is no consensus on communication theory as a field.Anderson (1 996) analyzed the contents of seven communication theory textbooks and identified 249 distinct "theories," 195 of which appeared in only one of the seven books. That is, just 22% of the theories appeared in more than one of the seven books, and only 18 of the 249 theories (7%) were included in more than three books. If communication theory were really a field, ...

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A research program on intellectual discussion in academic institutions ispresented as a case that illustrates a method for constructing grounded practical communication theory. Within a practical discipline perspective, theory is conceived as a rational reconstruction of practices for the purpose of informing further practice and reflection. The theoretical reconstruction of communication practices can be undertaken at three interrelated levels of analysis, here called the technical, problem, and philosdphical levels. Based on interpretive discourse analysis of recorded departmental colloquia and interviews with participants, we identify a complex interactional dilemma that arises within this type of communicative situation (problem level), specific techniques by which participants attempt to cope with that dilemma (technical level), and two situated ideals to which they have recourse for reflecting on the normative basis of their own and others'actions (philosophical level). Because of the ways grounded practical theory differs from other theoretical approaches, we argue that existing criteria for evaluating iheories must be rethought within this radically reflexive enterprise.Our purpose in this article is to explore one way in which studies of situated discourse might contribute to a closer and more fruitful relationship between communication theory and practice. A research program on intellectual discussion is presented as a case that illustrates a methodological model of grounded practical theory.