The History of Media and Communication Research: Contested Memories - Tapa dura

"The study of the history of mass communication research has been unfairly neglected to the detriment of the entire field of communication studies. We can learn much from an examination of the historical, political, and intellectual forces which propelled such research at different points in time. This outstanding collection of original essays will do much to underscore why we need to study this subject." (Garth Jowett, University of Houston) "Heralding a welcome new wave in the history of media and communication studies, this volume presents a tantalizing, international array of critical insights, fresh approaches, and focused investigations." (Robert T. Craig, University of Colorado)

"Strictly speaking", James Carey wrote, "there is no history of mass communication research." This volume is a long-overdue response to Carey's comment about the field's ignorance of its own past. The collection includes essays of historiographical self-scrutiny, as well as new histories that trace the field's institutional evolution and cross-pollination with other academic disciplines. The volume treats the remembered past of mass communication research as crucial terrain where boundaries are marked off and futures plotted. The collection, intended for scholars and advanced graduate students, is an essential compass for the field.