A Gramscian approach to interpreting international communication

Abstract

Postwar trends in international communication research reveal that the three main paradigms—modernization, dependency, and postdependency—have theoretical and methodological limitations for analyzing the complexities of cultural practices in the contemporary era. The limitations arise from the narrow theoretical concern centered on the polarity between development and dependency, and the overemphasis of economic forces at the expense of cultural forces. In this essay I urge a focus on cultural dynamics to reflect rapidly changing conditions of integration and disintegration among diverse cultural forces in a global society. The concepts and methods in postmodern cultural studies can facilitate this theoretical shift. The Gramscian concept of hegemony allows us to explore the economic aspect of cultural production by media industries and the cultural ideological aspect of audience readings within a single research framework.