Disciplinary containment: whiteness and the academic scarcity narrative

ABSTRACT

Amid rising controversy around the alleged distinctions between merit and excellence lies a familiar refrain, scarcity. The narrative of academic scarcity, proclaiming the insufficient numbers of scholars and academics of color, permeates conversations in higher education. We suggest that the academic scarcity narrative, a remnant of stagnant logics of diversity, circulates as a contemporary mechanism of what we name disciplinary containment. Extending disciplinary conversations around rhetorical containment, we argue that disciplinary containment perpetuates whiteness.     

Communication's quest for whiteness: the racial politics of disciplinary legitimacy

ABSTRACT

This essay examines communication's historical anxieties regarding disciplinary legitimacy as an investment in whiteness. We argue that such anxieties are predicated upon a normative ideal of citizenship. As such, rhetorics of disciplinary legitimacy enact white civil society's originary exclusion, which is antiblackness. To illuminate the ways antiblackness finds expression in these anxieties, we engage the field's lengthy archive of public musings regarding legitimacy to trace the rhetorical workings of antiblackness therein.     

"The policy exists but you can't really use it": communication and the structuration of work-family policies

Although work-family benefits are increasingly important organizational policies, limited research addresses the impact of communication on benefit utilization. However, communication is significant because the perceived appropriateness of work-family benefits emerges through interaction. For example, when coworkers complain about "picking up the slack" for those using family leave, their discourse may impact future decisions of other workers regarding whether they utilize the work-family benefits available to them. We apply Giddens' (1984) Structuration Theory to examine organizational members' discursive responses to conditions (and contradictions) present in utilizing work-family benefits in a governmental organization. We argue the daily discursive practices of individuals can either reinforce or undermine formally stated work-family initiatives, and in turn discuss the implications of this "structuration" of policy.     

"The policy exists but you can't really use it": communication and the structuration of work-family policies

Although work-family benefits are increasingly important organizational policies, limited research addresses the impact of communication on benefit utilization. However, communication is significant because the perceived appropriateness of work-family benefits emerges through interaction. For example, when coworkers complain about "picking up the slack" for those using family leave, their discourse may impact future decisions of other workers regarding whether they utilize the work-family benefits available to them. We apply Giddens' (1984) Structuration Theory to examine organizational members' discursive responses to conditions (and contradictions) present in utilizing work-family benefits in a governmental organization. We argue the daily discursive practices of individuals can either reinforce or undermine formally stated work-family initiatives, and in turn discuss the implications of this "structuration" of policy.     

Whiteness,internationalization, and erasure: decolonizing futures from the Global South

ABSTRACT

The essay explores the mobility of Whiteness in networks of Communication Studies that posture themselves as speaking from the Global South. Depoliticized languages of de-westernizing, internationalizing, and decolonizing are often articulated by elites in North-South networks pushing neoliberal governmentality, erasing claims to radical equality that emerge from within socialist struggles in the Global South. In resistance, a radical framework of knowledge from the Global South emerges from within subaltern struggles for hegemony, achieved through (a) delinking from the metropoles of the North and (b) explicitly crafting a socialist anticolonial politics that names and dismantles Whiteness as a capitalist project.     

"精神至上"与"精神贫乏":图书馆精神的回归——再论"图书馆精神是重要的":为"图书馆精神"辩护之二

本文首先简述“图书馆精神的发展过程”及“精神至上”的说法的出处,然后分析“图书馆精神”状态不是“精神至上”而是“精神缺乏”,最后指出“图书馆精神仍然是重要的”。我们期盼图书馆精神的回归。     

White lies: a racial history of the (post)truth

In the aftermath of the 2016 election of President Trump, a veritable cottage industry of opinion pieces, blogs, and articles emerged overnight, most of which seemed to agree that only the post-truth could explain how a racist, misogynistic, neo-nationalist member of the economic elite could win a presidential election. This article, in contrast, is inspired by Barbara Christian’s injunction that we question why a given statement, concept, or theory is now acceptable when before it was not. Operating in this spirit, we critique post-truth critics for neglecting the material tradition of ideological criticism in favor of epistemological explanations for understanding post-truth literature; we then offer two case studies—American drug policy and housing policy—to illustrate the racial amnesia required for claiming that only now do we live in a post-truth era.     

新闻传播史体系的三维空间

新闻传播史呈现给人们的总体印象是一个完整、混沌的系统结构。要将新闻传播史的研究推向深入,必须对这一混沌的整体进行解析。合理的解析是将其细分为三个层次或子系统:新闻传播事业、新闻传播制度、新闻传播观念。它们彼此依赖,相辅相成。其中,新闻传播事业始终是最活跃、最积极的因素;新闻传播制度则相对地比较滞后,具有一定的持久性、适应性和稳定性;新闻传播观念虽然是主体对于新闻传播实践的能动的反映,但是科学的观念能转化成物质的力量,成为新闻传播事业、新闻传播制度设计的指南。要解构披着历史外衣的政治与社会神话,必须建构起新闻传播事业、新闻传播制度和新闻传播观念彼此交融的统一的三维历史空间。     

传播研究范式与中国传播学的发展

本文通过对范式概念的辨析,将目前学界公认的三种传播研究范式———社会科学研究、诠释研究以及批判研究———进行梳理;并结合中国的社会历史语境,探讨这三种研究范式在我国的发展状况;最后针对传播学多元范式并存的现状,提出要正确理解范式之间的张力,避免其负面影响,以促进我国传播学的发展。     

Now you see it; now you don't: the elusive nature of electronic information

As more and more information is made available in electronic formats, ensuring reliable access to that information over time is becoming a concern for acquisitions and collection management personnel in all types of libraries. This paper looks at the current situation regarding the availability of monographs, serials, government publications, and web-based information. Possible resolutions must be viewed from a library-wide basis since the situation impacts all of us.     

Love is all you need: A content analysis of romantic scenes in Chinese entertainment television

A large sample of entertainment television programs that were aired on 28 channels in China in 2004 was analyzed for romantic and sexual content. Romantic scenes, typically portraying men and women already in committed relationships, appeared in 80% of the 196 programs analyzed. The analysis suggested that, according to Chinese television in the early part of the twenty-first century, emotional love was more important than physical sexual interaction in romantic relationships. More than half of the 1112 romantic scenes analyzed depicted love between the partners without any discussion or display of physical sexual behavior. Only 8% of scenes included discussion or depiction of sexual behavior (e.g., touching, kissing, and intercourse) without some sense that the partners were in a loving, committed relationship. Sexual intercourse was implied or depicted in fewer than 2% of the romantic scenes. Findings are discussed in light of the Chinese government's periodic regulation of sexually suggestive media content and attempts to filter Internet content. The extent to which such content may affect young viewers' perceptions of romantic relationships and sexual behavior is also discussed.     

Two studies concerning the predictive validity of the personal report of communication apprehension in employment interviews

Two studies were conducted to provide evidence concerning the predictive validity of the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension in Employment Interviews (PRCAEI). The first study, conducted in a laboratory setting, indicated that those who scored relatively high on the PRCAEI were recommended to be hired less often than those with relatively low PRCAEI scores. High PRCAEIs were also seen as less trustworthy, less task oriented, and less socially attractive than low PRCAEIs. The second study, conducted in the field, found a negative relationship (‐.84) between candidates’ scores on the PRCAEI and the rank they were given by an interviewer. That is, the higher one's PRCAEI score, the lower interviewers ranked him or her relative to others interviewing for the position. These studies offer strong support for the predictive validity of the PRCAEI and suggest CA is an extremely important variable in job interviews.     

读者群落:学术期刊面向对象的科学传播

读者是科技期刊生存的基础,为读者服务是期刊发展的前提。针对目前科技期刊一味追求SCI和影响因子,部分出版单位不考虑国内读者和自身条件刻意创办英文刊等问题,本文对其存在的症结和对策进行了研究。分析认为,目前很多期刊过度追求影响力,而忽略了传播力,其出发点产生了偏差。期刊的定位和读者群落不清晰是导致部分科技期刊盲目追求高标准的原因。基于《石油勘探与开发》的办刊实践,笔者提出科技期刊细分读者群落的思路,通过多种方式扩展读者群的范围和类型,实现覆盖国内外专家学者、产业工作者、社会读者等多种类型,并构建快速传播渠道和读者群数量稳步增长的途径,实现助推国家理论技术创新、加快科技成果产业化、提升国际学术界话语权、传播科技、提升公众科学素养等多方面的作用。     

Examining the quality of social support messages produced face-to-face and in computer-mediated communication: The effects of hyperpersonal communication

ABSTRACT

The hyperpersonal communication model was used to investigate the implications of the reduced social cues in computer-mediated communication (CMC) for the production of social support messages. Participants were randomly assigned to interact with a confederate seeking help about a problem for which the confederate was or was not responsible. The interactions took place either face-to-face or in one of two CMC conditions. The results were partially consistent with the intensification effect proposed in the hyperpersonal model. Participants evaluated the confederate most negatively, but produced the highest quality support messages, in the CMC condition with visual anonymity followed by the CMC condition and face-to-face condition. Participants’ evaluations of the confederate were also influenced by the confederate’s responsibility for their problem.     

Here Today,Gone Tomorrow: The Vicissitudes of Vendor/Library Relations in the Slavic and East European Book Trade

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the transformations in the Slavic and East European book trade in the 1990s. Among the challenges these changes pose to Slavic librarians are a profusion of new vendors, very small print runs, and a general breakdown in bibliographic control throughout the region. It argues that vigilant and timely selection is critical in order to obtain materials before they go out of print. Cultivating direct relationships with vendors both in North America and in the region is also required in order to continue to build Slavic collections successfully. It also considers the performance of English language approval plan vendors, electronic vs. print, and the ominous implications that the trend toward mergers and economies of scale hold for library collections.     

汉字作为信息媒介的传播学思考

在华夏几千年的文明史中 ,汉字作为文明传承的信息载体 ,不仅传播了语言信息 ,而且传播了汉民族历史文化等诸多信息。从传播学的角度来探索汉字 ,可以发现汉字不仅是信息传播的载体 ,而且蕴含着人性化的内涵 ,蕴藏着当代图像传播的许多生动有趣的特征。深入探讨汉字传播信息的方法、模式、规律、功能 ,将对建立有中国特色的传播学理论提供借鉴     

Autonomy and parent-child relationship satisfaction: the mediating role of communication competence

ABSTRACT

Research shows that autonomous individuals have greater psychological well-being and high-quality relationships. The present study, from a communication perspective, aimed to understand the dynamics between child autonomy, communication competence, and parent-child relationship satisfaction. Participants in this study were 169 parent-young adult child dyads. Results showed that autonomous children reported being more communicatively competent, and both themselves and their parents reported greater satisfaction. Further, mediation analyses showed that child autonomy was positively associated with children’s satisfaction with parents through their disclosure competence, and child autonomy was positively associated with parents’ satisfaction with children through child conflict management competence. Overall, the findings revealed that young adult child being autonomous was beneficial to both themselves and their parents.     

Proving the proverbial gadfly: situating the historical and racial context of Southern medical works by Mary Louise Marshall

Health sciences librarianship has historically benefited from avoiding critical conversations around the role of race in the profession, reflected through a select few number of articles on the topic. The purpose of this study was to add to this body of literature and apply a critical librarianship framework on the early scholarly record of health sciences librarianship and the legacy of integration within the Medical Library Association (MLA). Three Southern medical works and the integration views of Mary Louise Marshall, the longest-serving president of MLA from 1941 to 1946, were thematically and textually analyzed to redress the profession''s long-standing legacy with Whiteness and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) representation. In reframing the historic past of MLA both through Marshall''s works and her views, the goal is to acknowledge ways in which the profession has impeded progress and present steps to remedy appropriate outreach for the future.     

Social norms and expectancy violation theories: assessing the effectiveness of health communication campaigns

College students' processing of alcohol, smoking, and exercise social norms messages, and related effects on judgments, attitudes toward one's own behaviors, and attitudes toward undergraduates' behaviors were examined using social norms marketing and Expectancy Violation Theory (EVT) (N=393). Receiving statistical social norms messages led to an expectancy violation of the perceived social norm (i.e., a discrepancy between the expected and actual statistic conveyed with a message). Consistent with Boster et al. (), the effect of the message discrepancy on attitudes was mediated by judgments. In accordance with social norms, when participants were provided with a statistic, the majority moved their judgments (but not their attitudes) toward the provided statistic, a result only consistent with EVT in the case of positive violations. The results have multiple implications: (1) social norms messages may work to change judgments, but do not result in consistent attitude change; (2) the process of judgment change functions similarly across message topics, as well as message types (i.e., attitudinal versus behavioral); (3) judgment change does not appear to be the main cause for attitude change upon receipt of a social norms message; and (4) a message‐based expectancy violation does not function in the same way as a violated behavioral expectation.