19 the new revisionism in mass communication research a reappraisal222.docx

19 the new revisionism in mass communication research a reappraisal222.docx

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TheNewRevisionisminMassCommunicationResearch:

AReappraisal

JamesCurranJamesCurranisProfessorofCommunicationsatGoldsmiths’College,UniversityofLondon,NewCross,LondonSEI46NW

EuropeanJournalofCommunication（SAGE,London,NewburyParkandNewDelhi）,Vol.5（1990）,135-164

fromtheSAGESocialScienceCollections.AllRightsReserved.

Themajordevelopmentsofmasscommunicationresearch,particularlyinBritain,duringthelastfifteenyearsarereviewedcritically.Anewrevisionistmovementhasemergedthatchallengesthedominantradicalparadigmsofthelate1970sandearly1980s.Thishastakentheformofcontestingtheunderlyingmodelsofsociety,thecharacterizationofmediaorganizations,therepresentationsofmediacontent,theconceptionoftheaudienceandtheaestheticjudgementsthatunderpinnedmuch‘critical'research.Theauthorarguesthatthisrevisionismisinpartareversiontocertaindiscreditedconventionalwisdomsofthepast,arevivalismmasqueradingasnewandinnovatorythought.However,partofthenewcritiquecanbeseenasareformulationthatcouldpotentiallystrengthentheradicaltraditionofcommunicationsresearch.

Anewrevisionistmovementhasemergedinmediaandculturalstudies.Cominginitiallyoutoftheradicaltradition,ithasdevotedmuchofitscreativeenergytoattackingthepremisesandassumptionsofthattradition.Indeed,initsfullyfledgedform,thenewrevisionismrejectsthemodelsofsociety,thewaysofconceptualizingtheroleofthemedia,theexplanatoryframeworksandproblematicsoftheprincipalradicalparadigmsinmasscommunicationresearch.

Thisnewrevisionismoftenpresentsitselfasoriginalandinnovative,asanemancipatorymovementthatisthrowingofftheshacklesoftradition.Itisnoneofthesethings.Partofthenewthinkingisrevivalistratherthanrevisionist,areversiontopreviousreceivedwisdomsratherthanareconnaisanceofthenew.Anotherstrandcanbeseenasacontinuationofthe‘radical’traditionbutinaqualifiedformthatincorporatespluralistandotherinsights.

Duringthesameperiod,theliberalpluralisttraditionofcommunicationsresearchhasalsoadaptedandchanged.Someresearcherswithinthistraditionhavemodifiedtheirapproachin

responsetoattacksfromradicalcritics:

ineffect,theyhavemovedagainsttheflowoftrafficcomingtheotherway.

Inshort,wearelivingthroughagenuine‘fermentinthefield’,inwhichnumerousresearchershavesubstantiallyrevisedtheirviews.Inanattempttomakesenseofthecurrentsituation,Ihavetriedtoprovideaselective‘reading’oftrendsinthefieldduringthelastfifteenyears,concentratingmainlyonresearchintheUKbutwithanoccasionalsidewaysglanceatstudiesincontinentalEurope,ScandinaviaandtheUnitedStates.Theterm‘reading’—emblematicofthenewrevisionism—isperhapstoodignifiedatermforwhatfollows.Noteswouldbeamoreaccuratedescription.1

PolarizationBetweenPluralistandRadicalResearch

TraditionsC1975

Tworeaders,MassCommunicationandSocietyandCulture,SocietyandtheMedia,publishedrespectivelyin1977and1982butbothmostlywrittenin1976,provideausefulstartingpoint,sincetheycrystallizeaparticularmomentinthehistoricaldevelopmentofcommunicationsresearch（Curranetal.,1977;Gurevitchetal.,1982）.TheywereconstructedaroundtheantinomybetweenpluralistandMarxistperspectivesonthemedia,whichwerecharacterizedinideal-typicalterms:

Thepluralistsseesocietyasacomplexofcompetinggroupsandinterests,noneofthempredominantallofthetime.Mediaorganizationsareseenasboundedorganizationalsystems,enjoyinganimportantdegreeofautonomyfromthestate,politicalpartiesandinstitutionalizedpressuregroups.Controlofthemediaissaidtobeinthehandsofanautonomousmanagerialelitewhoallowaconsiderabledegreeofflexibilitytomediaprofessionals.Abasicsymmetryisseentoexistbetweenmediainstitutionsandtheiraudiences,sinceinMcQuail’swords,the‘relationshipisgenerallyenteredintovoluntarilyandonapparentlyequalterms’（MeQuail,1977）.AudiencesareseenascapableofmanipulatingthemediainaninfinitevarietyofwaysaccordingtotheirpriorneedsanddispositionsandashavingaccesstowhatHalloran（1977）calls‘thepluralvaluesofsociety’enablingthemto‘conform,accommodateorreject’.

Marxistsviewcapitalistsocietyasbeingoneofclassdomination;themediaareseenaspartofanideologicalarenainwhichvariousclassviewsarefoughtout,althoughwithinthecontextofthedominanceofcertainclasses;ultimatecontrolisincreasinglyconcentratedinmonopolycapital;mediaprofessionals,whileenjoyingtheillusionofautonomy,aresocializedintoandinternalizethenormsofthedominantculture.Themedia,takenasawhole,relayinterpretive