Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The definition of “international communication” is constantly in flux. Whether we have in view sociologist Émile Durkheim's suggestion in his classic work Elementary forms of religious life (1917) that relations between different Aboriginal tribes constituted international communication, or historians’ and political scientists’ studies of diplomacy among modern nation-states, or the rush of contemporary theorizing on globalization processes and the roles of communication media within them (→ Globalization Theories ), it is wise to be cautious before consecrating our assumptions as to how this field of study should be framed. In order to try to avoid that trap, this entry begins with a brief history of this research area. It will mainly focus on more recent research, which arguably has been conducted within ten categories. At the end, brief pointers will be thrown up to suggest some ongoing problems. The ten proposed categories are: (1) theories of international communication; (2) core international communication processes; (3) global media firms; (4) global media policies; (5) global news flows; (6) world cinema; (7) → development communication ; (8) the → Internet ; (9) → intellectual property law ; and (10) nonhegemonic communication flows. Items 6–9 in this list have been organized under separate editorial categories, so will receive only passing attention here. Analysis ... log in or subscribe to read full text