International Communication

This entry provides an overview of the theory and research that comprise the literature of international communication. The field is also referred to as global communication.

The nature of the field of international communication is not without controversy. Hamid Mowlana argues that it is not a discipline per se, because it is influenced by communication technologies and a social institution also covered by other fields, notably economics, international relations, political science, and sociology. Topics such as journalism, communication and development, technology transfer, nationalism, imperialism, global data flow, and globalism are some of the principal matters studied by researchers.

As a field, international communication in large part began with Western, largely U.S. mass media scholarship, interested in persuasion and propaganda studies. These topics have been studied since the very beginnings of scientific communication research. National research agendas of major Western countries were highly influenced by military conflicts and international relations concerns throughout the 20th century. The military and intelligence agencies provided early researchers with funding but sources were not always disclosed. Thus, early 20th-century research sometimes had propaganda applications, especially during World War II and later when the Cold War pitted two superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States, against one another.

Some of the best known theorists of early communication and mass communication, such as Wilbur Schramm, Paul Lazarsfeld, Carl Hovland, Ithiel de Sola Pool, and Harold Lasswell, were involved in addressing communication matters with international dimensions and implications.

This entry introduces international communication, paying specific attention to normative press theories, which include development media theory, and geopolitical control and empowerment theories, which include critical theory and political economy theories, among others.