You are here

Black Pioneers in Communication Research
Share
Share

Black Pioneers in Communication Research



January 2006 | 280 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

"Black Pioneers in Communication Research is a pathbreaking book that displays a refreshingly joyful and critical spirit. Here, communication theory is shown to be the work of real persons living real lives, asking real questions of real problems.  By celebrating and evaluating the lives of Black scholars as they have sought to advance communication studies, readers are introduced to perhaps the first truly foundational text our field has to offer! By tracing pioneers' life histories up to their current contributions to the field of communication, students will not simply be exposed to a concept and its definition, but rather invited to explore the evolution of both the concept and its progenitor. This illuminates and enlivens the study of communication while helping readers to be conscious of the conditions that have helped to shape our current state of knowledge. Black Pioneers in Communication Research is fully edifying: It lifts all communication scholars higher by being courageous enough to teach us as intellectuals that when we lay bare some of the intricacies of our lives, our students are better able to understand the complex canvases upon which our paradigms are built." --Eric King Watts, Wake Forest University

Black Pioneers in Communication Research is the only book in the field of communication that—through personal interviews—systematically explores the lives, careers, and profound conceptual contributions of the men and women who have helped shape the contours of humanistic and social scientific inquiry within communication studies and beyond.   

  • The personal lives and careers of eleven leading scholars are profiled: Molefi Kete Asante, Donald E. Bogle, Hallie Quinn Brown, Melbourne S. Cummings, Jack L. Daniel, Oscar H. Gandy, Jr., Stuart Hall, Marsha Houston, Joni L. Jones/Iya Omi Osun Olomo, Dorthy L. Pennington, and Orlando L. Taylor. These pioneers have had an indelible impact on Black Studies, sociology, communication, political science, film studies, rhetoric, sociolinguistics, and cultural studies.   
  • Black Pioneers in Communication Research presents a penetrating look into the circumstances that shifted the paradigms of interdisciplinary thought.  Some of the concepts covered in this book are afrocentricity, articulation theory, aphasia, oral performance and interpretation, womanism, Black English, Black oral traditions, the TrEE communication development model, chronemics, as well as the mammy, buck, mulatto, coon, and Uncle Tom images in film and television. 

Intended Audience:This is an excellent textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses dealing with African American communication and/or communication research (such as intercultural communication, African American communication, African American studies, African American rhetoric, communication research, and communication theory~


 
Introduction
 
1. Molefi Kete Asante
Introduction

 
Biographical Information

 
Academic Background and Experience

 
Contributions to Communication Research

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
2. Donald E. Bogle
Introduction

 
Biographical Information

 
Academic Background and Experience

 
Contributions to Communication Research

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
3. Hallie Quinn Brown
Introduction

 
Biographical Information

 
Academic Background and Experience

 
Contributions to Communication Research

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
4. Melbourne S. Cummings
Introduction

 
Biographical Information

 
Academic Background and Experience

 
Contributions to Communication Research

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
5. Jack L. Daniel
Introduction

 
Biographical Information

 
Academic Background and Experience

 
Contributions to Communication Research

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
6. Oscar H. Gandy, Jr.
Introduction

 
Biographical Information

 
Academic Background and Experience

 
Contributions to Communication Research

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
7. Stuart Hall
Introduction

 
Biographical Information

 
Academic Background and Experience

 
Contributions to Communication Research

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
8. Marsha Houston
Introduction

 
Biographical Information

 
Academic Background and Experience

 
Contributions to Communication Research

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
9. Joni Jones/Iya Omi Osun Olomo
Introduction

 
Biographical Information

 
Academic Background and Experience

 
Contributions to Communication Research

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
10. Dorthy L. Pennington
Introduction

 
Biographical Information

 
Academic Background and Experience

 
Contributions to Communication Research

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
11. Orlando L. Taylor
Introduction

 
Biographical Information

 
Academic Background and Experience

 
Contributions to Communication Research

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
Index
 
About the Authors

Students use this text for looking at diverse communications.

Ms Sharon Yearwood
Academy, Havering College of Further and Higher Education
March 12, 2013
Key features
  • Essays on specific Black scholars, showing how these people have contributed to the research and development in the various sub-areas within the communication field (e.g., interpersonal; organizational; performance; intercultural; rhetoric; etc.)
  • Consistent chapter sections facilitate student understanding:
    • Chapter-opening photo of the scholar;
    • Biographical Information explores the early childhood and family experiences that shaped the scholar;
    • Academic Background and Experience discusses the scholar's approach to and overall interest in education, beginning with elementary school, continuing through college and accounting for how graduate school experience facilitated the growth or hindrance of the scholar's research agenda;
    • Contributions to Communication Research summarizes the scholarship for which the pioneer is most well known and provides an opportunity to discuss how the scholar defines him or herself;
    • "Life Snapshot" depicts a timeline of the scholar's major research contributions and a "quick glance" at the life of the scholar;
    • Selected References lists the key articles and books written
  • All the information for the text is based on the authors' interviews with the pioneer for this book (and on extant writings about the pioneer for those no longer living)

Sage College Publishing

You can purchase or sample this product on our Sage College Publishing site:

Go To College Site

This title is also available on SAGE Knowledge, the ultimate social sciences online library. If your library doesn’t have access, ask your librarian to start a trial.