Transculturality as a Perspective: Researching Media Cultures Comparatively

Authors

  • Andreas Hepp Universität Bremen

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-10.1.1221

Keywords:

media culture, intercultural communication, international communication, transcultural communication, comparison, media globalization, qualitative media research, critique, cultural studies, cultural analysis

Abstract

Most of the research on media cultures operates in a "national-territorial" frame. Media cultures are considered as national cultures and other forms of media culture (for example professional journalism cultures, diasporas, celebrity cultures etc.) are not investigated in their "deterritorial" character. But it is exactly such deterritorial forms of media culture that are gaining relevance with the ongoing pace of media globalization: they therefore have to be placed in the focus of comparative media and communication research. Starting with this consideration, the article develops a transcultural perspective on researching media cultures. Within this perspective it becomes possible to conduct comparative research on (territorial) national media cultures as well as on other (deterritorial) forms of present media cultures, as this approach moves the processes of cultural construction and articulation into the focus of analysis. To arrive at a better understanding of this approach, "media cultures" are defined as translocal phenomena in their territorial as well as their deterritorial relations. Based on this, the "semantics" of a transcultural research perspective are outlined, which then makes it possible to formulate practical principles for carrying out comparative qualitative research within this framework. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0901267

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Author Biography

Andreas Hepp, Universität Bremen

Dr. habil. Andreas HEPP is professor of communications at the IMKI, University of Bremen. His research is focused on the relationship between media and cultural change. Within this frame his main topics are media globalization, transcultural communication, migration and diaspora, media and religious change, transnationalization of public spheres, media appropriation and mediatization research. He is author of four and co-author of two books, co-editor of nine books and has written more than 90 articles and contributions to different academic journals and books.

Published

2009-01-28

How to Cite

Hepp, A. (2009). Transculturality as a Perspective: Researching Media Cultures Comparatively. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-10.1.1221

Issue

Section

Researching Special Themes, Phenomena, and Contexts with Qualitative Approaches