Publication year
2004Publisher
Berlin, New York : Mouton de Gruyter
Series
Communications Monograph ; 3
ISBN
3110180804
In
Renckstorf, K.; McQuail, D.; Rosenbaum, J.E. (ed.), Action theory and communication research: Recent developments in Europe, pp. 1-10Related links
Publication type
Part of book or chapter of book
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Editor(s)
Renckstorf, K.
McQuail, D.
Rosenbaum, J.E.
Schaap, G.J.
Organization
SW OZ NISCO CW
Book title
Renckstorf, K.; McQuail, D.; Rosenbaum, J.E. (ed.), Action theory and communication research: Recent developments in Europe
Page start
p. 1
Page end
p. 10
Subject
Communications Monograph; Mediated communicationAbstract
The action theoretical approach has already proved its value as a framework for communication research, most especially in the study of media audiences and media use. It has deep roots in Weberian sociology, symbolic interactionism and phenomenology and it has been a robust survivor of the various storms that have beset the practice of the social sciences since the collapse of structuralist and social system paradigms. The social action approach privileges the perspective of the acting individual but offers guidelines for connecting the subjective orientation with networks of social interaction and for treating 'behaviour' as a social process. Research within this framework takes account of the wider social context and calls for a careful combination of empirical observation and interpretation, with a corresponding diversity of methodologies. The appeal of the approach stems also from its flexibility, wide range of applications and sensitivity to cultural and social meanings. The contributions assembled in this book, despite their diversity, can all be placed within the framework of social action theory. Some are reports of empirical inquiries, others reflections on theory but each one sheds some light on the significance of media use in everyday experience and contributes to an understanding of communication in society.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [246764]
- Faculty of Social Sciences [30508]
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