Global Communication in Transition

Book excerpt: Hamid Mowlana, for decades, has been one of the foremost trackers and analyzers of global communications--their volume, character, and impact. No one is more qualified to explain these increasingly important and central issues to a wide public. --Herbert S. Schiller, New York University The rapid changes in the way we communicate across the globe continue to alter the many facets of society. Both interdisciplinary and intercultural in its approach, Global Communication in Transition examines the human dimensions and technological imperatives of international communications. Author Hamid Mowlana provides a comprehensive analysis beginning with the rise of modern political systems and the interactions of various cultures, through the expansion of social organizations and the growing global infrastructure. This unique perspective on global communication is organized around a number of basic concepts such as history, power, community, legitimacy, and language. By analyzing the political, economic, and cultural implications of communication today, within the broader concepts of such issues as community, Mowlana provides a new paradigm for the study of international communication. This auspicious text covers the history, theories, processes, and issues of international communication. Advanced undergraduates and graduate students in political science and international relations as well as communication will benefit greatly from the insightful scholarship offered in Global Communication in Transition.