Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Maines, David R
• Couch, Carl J

Titel

COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Erscheinungsjahr

1988

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Sociological Abstracts

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• A collection of symposium articles aimed at an interdisciplinary dismantling of conventional dichotomies between sociology & communication studies, presented in VI PARTS containing 19 Chpts & a Preface. Emphasis is placed on the dialectics of structure & process as they are embedded in communicative activities & informational technologies, & it is argued that in its most advanced form, a general theory of society must consider permanence & change, personal & collective organization, the structures of action & the action of structures, & the creation of forms & the forms of creativity, all of which must be expressed as transacted, communicative activity, which portrays a society as in movement. (1) David R. Maines & Carl J. Couch -- On the Indispensibility of Communication for Understanding Social Relationships and Social Structure -- develops a theoretical argument of how human affairs, ranging from micro to macro, are permeated by & derive their fundamental character from communication processes & structures. The old one-way effect models are no longer useful; transactional perspectives are needed to identify current forms of communicative conduct, depict the extent & depth of influence the electronic media have had on contemporary societies, & create processually grounded conceptions & analyses of human agency & social structure. PART I - INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION - following an Introduction by Julie Burke & Dan Miller, offers (2) Fred Davis -- Clothing, Fashion and the Dialectic of Identity -- illustrates how communication in the universe of appearance activates social relationships & how visually displayed symbols such as clothing frame & enhance the meaning of discourse; (3) Monica J. Hardesty -- Information Tactics and the Maintenance of Asymmetry in Physician-Patient Relationships -- notes shifts that have recently occurred in the nature of the physician-client relationship & communication in Western nations; & (4) Norman K. Denzin -- The Alcoholic Self: Communication, Ritual and Identity Transformation -- emphasizes the importance of communication (story telling) for acquiring membership in an established organization & the transformations of identities that accompany becoming embedded in the organization. PART II - INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION, AND MORALITY - after an Introduction by John Soloski, includes (5) Jim Thomas & James Marquart -- Dirty Information and Clean Conscience: Communication Problems in Studying "Bad Guys" -- examines issues of morality & ethics as they arise from various communication networks, explores processes demonstrating that social relationships that rest on less than open communication are fragile edifices, & argues that when information relevant to the interest of one group is obtained from a second group, those in command of that information can face moral dilemmas; (6) Peter K. Manning -- The Truthfulness of Organizational Communication -- argues that trust is a central but ambiguous dynamic aspect of organizational communication, examining governmental behavior vis-a-vis nuclear energy as an illustration of how governmental action has predetermined the relevance of nuclear energy questions by standing behind its own arrangements & maintaining its own order; & (7) Michael A. Katovich -- Inauthentic Identities, Suspicion, and Honor -- notes that information derived from past encounters informs current encounters, & when that information renders the identity of the other suspect, issues of trust, honor, & betrayal come to the forefront. PART III - PREMODERN COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES - preceded by an Introduction by Stephen G. Wieting & E. Paul Durrenberger, offers (8) Denise Schmandt-Besserat -- Quantification and Social Structure; (9) Carl J. Couch & Shing-Ling Chen -- Orality, Literacy and Social Structure; & (10) Joan Dyste Lind -- Toward a Theory of Cultural Continuity and Change: The Innovation, Retention, Loss, and Dissemination of Information. PART IV - ELECTRONIC MEDIA AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE - following an Introduction by Frank J. Kohout, presents (11) Robert P. Snow -- Forms, Formats, and Grammatical Structure in Mass Media -- explores the intertwinings between social life & material technologies, emphasizes how the invention of new procedures for retaining & sharing information has transformed human life, & draws on Georg Simmel's theories of culture & mass media to suggest the importance of orienting thought & research to a more fundamental & pervasive view of how mass media are utilized in contemporary society; (12) David L. Altheide -- Computer Formats and Bureaucratic Structures; & (13) Eric W. Rothenbuhler -- Live Broadcasting, Media Events, Telecommunication, and Social Form. PART V - METHODOLOGICAL AND CONCEPTUAL ISSUES - focuses on communicative processes, social relationships, & the specific role of information technologies, & following an Introduction by Richard V. Travisano & Stanley L. Saxton, proffers (14) Thomas J. Scheff -- Thick Description: Basic Issues in Interpretive Science -- explores methodological & theoretical implications of using audiovisual research technologies to ellucidate the nature of institutionalized interpersonal encounters; (15) Mari J. Molseed -- The Form-Content Bond in the Construction and Transformation of Relationships -- shows how high fidelity data of both auditory & visual communication can be acquired to learn how triadic structures are established & maintained; & (16) Joel O. Powell -- Diplomatic Discourse and the Process of Negotiation -- discusses acquisition of data relevant to increasing understanding of diplomatic negotiations. PART VI - REFLECTIONS, ASSESSMENTS, AND NEW DIRECTIONS - introduced by David R. Maines, presents (17) Lyn H. Lofland -- Communication and Construction: The Built Environment as Message and Medium -- assesses the studies as a collective attempt to get beyond old & tenacious dualisms in social science, which have clouded important issues & set up false divisions in scholarly inquiry, especially the micro/macro & structure/process dualisms; (18) Bruce E. Gronbeck -- Symbolic Interactionism and Communication Studies: Prolegomena to Future Research; & (19) Peter M. Hall -- Asymmetry, Information Control, and Information Technology -- notes the significance of institutionalized arrangements of space in terms of interpersonal distancing & large-scale ecological & historical orderings. Chpt Notes contain references.