Theories of Communication: : A Short Introduction

Citation

Varey, R.J. (1999), "Theories of Communication: : A Short Introduction", Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 4 No. 2, pp. 106-106. https://doi.org/10.1108/ccij.1999.4.2.106.1

This concise and engaging history book charts the emergence of a range of theories showing why each emerged and the social and intellectual context in which each arose. Written by two influential French scholars of communication and media, with expert translation by Susan Taponier and James Cohen, this is a highly readable text. In examining the possibility of a “science of communication”, the authors provide a wealth of connections and explanation of influences from various disciplines and at various levels of analysis. This benefits from a rich European philosophical perspective not always apparent to scholars who read only the US and UK books on the subject of “business communications” or “corporate communications”.

The wide‐ranging examination of interpersonal and mass communication holds some surprises for those of us fed on a diet of linear information transmission models and processes of persuasion. Certain characters appear on the horizon as communication theorists, although most management‐related texts do not identify them so. There is much to delight those of us with a sense for historical context and a willingness to step outside the rather narrow vista available in business and management schools.

Few key thinkers are omitted, yet the text will not overpower the serious explorer. With 17 pages of references, this is a significant source for scholars who want to widen their thinking and fill in a few gaps on the way. This pocket‐sized journey should become a well‐used addition to the bookshelves of anyone who wishes to understand who thought what, and why, during Western society’s journey towards our “information society”.