French and German Theories of Communication
Résumé
French and German communication research, their scholarly traditions and key theories cannot be presented in one holistic or trans-European perspective. Although they are neighbors, the German and French communication studies differ a lot due to their academic traditions and histories, their cultural contexts and language barriers. They widely ignore each other’s knowledge output. In part this results from the lack of enduring transnational research and related learning environments for young scholars. Nevertheless, both research communities have to deal with communication and media phenomena in times in which fundamental changes of media technologies, media systems and media cultures are of transnational relevance. While facing similar research problems and internal and external challenges coming from science politics, the French-German scientific milieus which would otherwise closely and intensively work together are still rare and insular in communication studies. The chapter shows reasons for this “living apart” of these two neighboring research communities by considering historical and social aspects of academia and looking at common points of reference. This is exemplified by looking at the scientific biographies and milieus of leading intellectual figures in the field, their theoretical and methodological contribution to communication studies, and transnational challenges being faced nowadays.