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Summary Critical Thinking in Communication Studies
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CRITICALTHINKINGIN
COMMUNICATIONSTUDIES
2018-2019
SOCIALSCIENCES PROF.VERHOEST
D.L.Y.
,
1.TheCriticalParadigm
1.SituatingCriticalThinking
● Opposedtomainstreammediaandcommunicationresearch
● Marxist
● Normative=howthingshavetobeinsteadofdescribingwhatis
● Self-critical=matterswhatyoudoasascientist
1.1.Criticalvs.Mainstream
<Mainstreamofmediaandcommunicationstudies
● Cf.Rationalchoicetheories
● Cf.Pluralisttheories
Notahomogenousfield
● Cf.Marxisttheories
● Cf.Institutionalisttheories
● Post-structuralism
Whatisgenerallyconsideredasmainstream? Whatarethecounterpropositionsofcriticalstudies?
● Linearthinkingthatgenerallyignoresbroader ● Dialecticalthinking
societalissues(e .g.hypodermicneedlemodel,
uses&gratifications)
● ToddGitlin(1978):takingforgranted“the
existingsystemofmassmediaownership, ● Focuson(systemic)powerrelations
controlandpurpose”(nocritiqueofpower)
● Hall(1982):assumesthatmediahavetoplay
thefunctionofexpressingandreflectingthe
● Engagement(resistance)
achievedconsensusinsociety
1.2.Criticalstudiesasa(non-linear)‘wayofthinking’
Dialecticalthinking
● ↔
Context linearcausality(e .g.effectstudies)
● And/and↔or/orthinking(e .g.structurevs.agency)
● Acknowledgingcomplexityofsocial&mediarealities
● Acknowledgingthelimitationofourunderstandingofsocialreality
1.3.Criticalstudies’focusonpower-relations
“Thewayhowcommunicationisembeddedintorelationsofdomination,butalsoaboutfindingalternativeconditions
ofsocietyandcommunication”(Nordenstreng,2016)
2
,
1.4.Thesocialshapingofcriticalstudies
Academiaisshapedby“worldviews,politicalgoalsandtheworldoutsideofacademia”(Fuchs,2011)
E.g.“cyberspace”and“theglobalvillage”
Whatresearchgetsfunded?
1.5.Westernperspectivesdominate?
1.6.Self-Criticism?
“Itmeansuncompromisingcriticismofeverything;especiallytheexistingpowersinsociety,butalsoone’sown
thinking-thusencouragingself-criticism”(Nordenstreng,2016)
Manycriticalstudiesindulgeinself-contemplationorevenself-prophecyinsteadofself-criticism
1.7.Historicaloriginsofcriticalcommunicationstudies
● PoliticalEconomyofCommunication:originstobetracedto19thC.Marxism
● CulturalStudies:originstobetracedtheFrankfurterSchule(Interbellum)
● CulturalStudiesemergedasacritiqueonpoliticaleconomy(structurevs.agency)
1.8.Criticalstudies:notahomogeneousfield
● Repressionhypothesis:mediaasameansforenforcinganddeepeningdomination
● Manipulationhypothesis:mediaastoolsthatmanipulatepeople
● Emancipationhypothesis:mediaasameansofcriticizingdomination
● Commodityhypothesis:mediaasspheresofcapitalaccumulation
● Alternativemediahypothesis:therearealternativewaysofdoingandmakingmedia
● Receptionhypothesis:potentialforoppositionalinterpretationsandactions
2.Criticalcommunicationstudiesasanepistemologyandresearchparadigm
2.1.Epistemology:positivism,interpretivism
Epistemology:thenatureofknowledge
Positivism Interpretivism
Investigatingthesocialandculturalworldisnodifferent Socialsciencesfundamentallydifferentfromnatural
inprincipletoinvestigatingthenaturalworld sciences
Socialworldispatternedandthuspredictable Focusonhowpeoplemakesenseoftheirsocialworlds
andhowtheyexpresstheseunderstandings(meaningà
‘Truth’isconstructedinsocialinteraction:‘facts’never
speakforthemselves
3
,
2.2.Varietiesinthecriticalparadigm
CriticalRealism CriticalSocialConstructionism
Thingsexistapartfromourexperienceand ↔anytruthclaims
interpretation
Focusonideologycritiqueanddeconstruction
Focusonthematerialworld:resource,distributionand
socialstruggles
2.3.Whatisaparadigm?
Aparadigmisanintellectuallens/thoughtpattern/organizingprincipleonasubjectmatterwithinascience
Mainstream Critical
Consensus Conflict
Equilibrium Contradictions/tensions
2.4.ThreeparadigmsinCommunicationStudies
CulturalStudies PoliticalEconomy
Societyasaterrainofdominationandresistanceand Centralfocusofanalysesareontheonehandthe
engagesincritiqueofdominationandofthewaysthat specificdevelopmentsinmediaproduction,
mediacultureengagesinreproducingrelationshipsof -distribution,-andconsumption,ontheotherhandtheir
dominationandoppression. functionsforthedevelopmentofthetotalcapitalist
economicandsocietalsystem.
Kellner,2005 Knoche,2005
“Thed
ebateb
etweenc ulturals tudiess cholarsa ndc riticalp
oliticale conomys cholarsinc ommunications tudies( Fergusona nd
Golding1
997;G
arnham1
998;G
rossberg1
998)h
asf ore xamples hownt hatt herea relarged
ifferencesb
etweenr esearchs chools.
Butt hed
angert hatliesins uchc onflictsist hatc riticals tudiesb
ecomef ragmenteda nds elf-centreda ndt hereforew
eakenedin
questioningt heu
ncriticalm
ainstream.T herefore,b
asicc ategoriesa nda t ypologyc anh
elpt ou
nitev ariousc riticala pproachesb
y
showingt heirc onnectednessa nda tt hes amet imet heird
ifferences( unityinp
lurality)”
-F uchs,2
011
4