Communication Theory as a Field

Craig, Robert T.

doi:10.1111/j.1468-2885.1999.tb00166.x

Cited by 122 publications

(197 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Davidson's views as regards language and convention bring these kinds of communication closer to one another. Thus, Davidson's perspective provides much needed support for the unity and coherence of communication as a concept and as a field of research, a goal that is acknowledged by many communication theorists as important and pressing (Beniger, 1993;Craig, 1999;Dance, 1970;Murphy, 1991;Peters, 1986).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, the alternative constitutive or communicational model views ''the interaction process as the site of meaning production'' (Deetz, 1994, p. 577). The advantages of this alternative approach have been effectively argued: It is a stepping stone to politically proactive and inclusive theory of communication and a useful organizing principle for the discipline of communication (Craig, 1999;Deetz, 1992Deetz, , 1994. It is not my aim here to reproduce or elaborate on the arguments regarding these advantages.…”

Section: Radical Interpretation and Communication Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Davidson's Philosophy of Communication

Dresner

2006

Commun Theory

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Donald Davidson, one of the main figures in 20th-century analytic philosophy, can be justifiably described as a philosopher of communication. In the first part of this paper, a key concept in Davidson's philosophy-radical interpretation-is presented and explicated. Then, the second part shows how this notion bears upon key issues and problems in communication theory. It is argued that Davidson's ideas provide support for a constitutive view of communication and that his account of the relation between communication and social convention promotes the unity of communication as a field of research. The final part of the paper discusses the ramifications of radical interpretation for the domain of intercultural communication.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Radical Interpretation and Communication Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Davidson's Philosophy of Communication

Dresner

2006

Commun Theory

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“…There is, finally, a political aspect to the definition of traditions that has not been much discussed in print (Craig, 2007(Craig, , 2009b but that I have encountered many times in seminar discussions. The traditions often fail to align with current intellectual identities.…”

Section: What Traditions? Whose Traditions?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Craig (1999) suggested that work in the field should use the metamodel: (a) to explore the traditions of communication theory in order to illuminate key issues among them, (b) to create and engage in discussion on new traditions and new ways of representing the field, and (c) to apply the traditions to address real-world communication problems and as a framework for teaching communication theory. Craig (2009b) suggested that the metamodel could be used to cultivate theoretical cosmopolitanism (a broad appreciation of alternative approaches), to develop comparative, multitheoretical analyses of communication problems, to conceptualize or reconceptualize theoretical traditions, and to engage in dialogue and debate with other conceptions of the field. Craig (2007) cautioned that the metamodel "is at best a simplified heuristic device for thinking about the field as a whole" and that "[o]nly a small part of the field's actual work can directly address this [metatheoretical] level of analysis" (p. 139).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Constitutive Metamodel: A 16-Year Review

Craig

2015

Commun Theor

Self Cite

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This article reviews the uses that have been made of the constitutive metamodel (R. T. Craig, 1999) in the first 16 years since its publication. The metamodel has been widely cited as a shorthand reference to the field, and has been used as a device for teaching theory, reflecting on communication problems from multiple perspectives, and assessing particular theories or subdisciplinary areas in relation to the field as a whole. Scholars have also proposed new traditions of communication theory and at least one revised conception of the traditions in general. Critiques of the metamodel have focused on questions of epistemological bias, disconnection of theory from research, the definition of traditions, and the potential for productive dialogue in the field.

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“…When does the search for universals cut short the value of data?-have long been seen as a detriment to disciplinary formation, where disciplines were expected to build antagonist forms of knowledge built on certainty (Wallerstein, 2004). In that light, the field has been critiqued for lacking theoretical coherence (i.e., Craig, 1995Craig, , 1999Nerone, 2012) and for not having developed a canon or intellectual core to distinguish itself in the universe of disciplines (i.e., Peters, 1986). But might there not be a more recuperative function to the array of relationships that the field displays toward evidence?…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Making Communication Theory Matter

Zelizer

2015

Commun Theor

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This article considers the role of theory in the development of communication as a field of inquiry. Arguing that the relationship between the parts and whole of the field has not been adequately understood, it suggests that embracing a fuller understanding of communication's singularity might work better for both communication scholars and those situated in other fields of inquiry.Time complicates the appraisal of theory development in a field of study like communication. Unlike more traditional disciplines that have been entrenched for longer than individual members can remember, communication's development provides an uneven backdrop on which the activities of current members rest. Its unevenness is exacerbated by the field's temporal newness, where the relationship between the field's parts and its imagined whole remains out of sync. Rather than provide a reliable landscape on which theory might develop in more or less predictable ways, the theoretical horizon associated with communication has had other effects: It has created unchallenged and often unarticulated coalitions, lent stature to mythical giants while marginalizing their more diminutive neighbors, linked known scholars in automatic ways to otherwise abstract research agendas and challenged academic identities still in formation. With time's passage always subject to simultaneous pathways of opportunity and diminution, depending on who is reflecting, appraising the development of theory in conjunction with a platform like Communication Theory depends ultimately on the circumstances and identities of those engaging in its appraisal.The time span of 25 years is significant for me because I received my doctorate at just about the point that Communication Theory launched. The field of communication was then primed for a growth spurt, supported largely by both the so-called end of the "Cold War" and the explosion of the digital revolution. Making efforts at rapprochement timely, by opening the East-West master narrative to an increasingly vocal North-South distinction, and rendering aspects of communication-its devices, effects, and institutions-more widely and differently relevant than they had been, these developments helped orient the field upward and outward, as measured by its premier scholarly association, the International Communication Association: In

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Communication Theory as a Field

Cited by 122 publications

References 63 publications

Davidson's Philosophy of Communication

Davidson's Philosophy of Communication

The Constitutive Metamodel: A 16-Year Review

Making Communication Theory Matter

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