Reading # 1

Title: (Summary of International Communication, The Journey of Caravan)

By Hamid Mowlana

Submitted by: Hafiz Shehzad Ali

Submitted to: Respected Dr. Syed Awais Hassan Geelani

Submission Time & Date: e.g. 11:50 AM, November 17, 2020 (E-mailed: Yes)

Given Time & Date: e.g. 11:59 PM, November 17, 2020

Total number of pages: e.g. 3 (Excluding title page)

Department of Media Studies

The Islamia University of
Bahawalpur
Hamid Mowlana is an Iranian-US based International Relations researcher who, in his
(Mowlana, 2004) research work, enlightened the evolution and advancement in the subject of
international communication. He articulated that the told subject was seen as peculiar and a
leader topic from its beginning to later time frame. It’s observed that majority of educational
institutes consumed it with more zeal and professional approach. SIS (School of International
Service) emphasized the international construction, local research, foreign research, and
international legal information, interprets the significant character of the subject in US higher
educational program.

After WWII, the subjects related to international communication research flourished at many
institutes as Harvard, The University of Chicago and Columbia University. A research project
was managed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) too. In 1952, the question of what
urges societal members, interested the Ford Foundation for sponsoring research projects. The
institute of MIT asked by the foundation for examining the exchange of arguments, imitations
and ideas which affect the behavioral status of individuals towards each other. The research
proved to be useful for both scientist and government sector in in context to tranquility and
reducing Cold War strains. In the research, famous researchers as Hans Speier (Chairman),
Jerome Bruner, Wallace Carroll Harold D. Lasswell, Paul Lazarsfeld, Edward Shils and Ithiel de
Sola Pool showed their particular part. The report concluded the dominance that American
foreign doings for construction of international communication research study, explained the US
will for huge consciousness of the supposed Third World, and elucidated the international
communication as being enthused by Cold War anxieties.

1950s era is seen very useful as of important modification in international matters. The financial
help of UNESCO in the described era in WWII, many of the research centers became a pillars of
the establishment of International Association for Communication Research (IAMCR) in 1957
by UNESCO. IAMCR emerged in the era when east-west blocs were being appeared. Instead of
bridging role, IAMCR focused with the questions of East-West relations, aiming to bring the
clear ideological groups on single platform, and uniting professionals on a single page. The US
consistently showed their dominance in research, and it tended reflecting the so-called
Eurocentric conception. In 60’s, US leading association within the discipline of communication
was the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) that
worked together with IAMCR later. In late 60s and early 70s, many of famous schools in US of
“speech” planned to use the name of “communication”, or they decided to departmentalize
themselves and, additional into more specific disciplines that’s the commencement of the
diversion of communication institutions.

Hamid Mowlana argued that in 1968, AU’s Department of Journalism, Radio and TV and PR
was typical of that era. The researchers and students elite was interested coping with the mass
communication majors connecting with international level. In this regard, the School of
International Service, which was originally recognized a decade before in 1958 as a bastion of
foreign research studies, beneficial and certainly supreme for organizing issues related to
international communication subject. The research program generated three establishing
philosophies in international communication wherein (1) is prominence of advanced sort of
technology and the impact on political, economic and the cultural features of IR subject; (2) the
sign of philosophy and message as key tool of IR; and (3) the idea of communication as a
procedure for interacting and communicating. The international communication is seen as
emergent field of mass communication, field of realistic curiosity debated chiefly containing
international participants, reporters and editors, and also political individuals. It focusses the
discussion on topics, cultural aspect that was documented to be critical for the process of
communication.

Overall it is concluded that the field of international communication in interdisciplinary and

supreme in the field of journalism as other subjects. In conferences, various scholars in that era
suggested different opinion while talking on international communication. Some suggested that
scholars should be specialized to get deep study, in context of teaching and research as of the
vastness of this field. As of the link of international communication with other subjects, it has a
deficiency of its own frame work, proving it tuff for researchers as compared to other subjects.
Some of other researchers stressed on the theoretical structure that must be the foundation of
instructions in this subject.

In US, in 1970’s international communication subject got more advancement from the joint
research work of SSC and ICA that became the competitors of AEJMC in the field of
international communication research. Further, in United States, more organizations containing
SSC that was initially a little gathering of journalists appeared. The lCA’s 1st conference on
international communication was organized in West-Berlin in 1976, and became a leading
organization in upcoming time period.

In 1978, during Warsaw conference, firstly, the question of cultural and national recognition was
the major piece of stress in the intended conference. Hamid Mowlana further said that during
Islamic revolution in Iran, he criticized on capitalist approach at IAMCR forum. The conference
in Warsaw, gave a framework of shifting the ongoing agenda to other too. Later, in 1980, ethics
and human rights became the key part of this agenda and a focal point of concerning issues.
Surely, such subjects like civil society, rights for women sort of problems were closely marginal
in IAMCR priorities till 90’s.

References
Mowlana, H. (2004). International communication: The journey of a caravan. Journal of
International Communication, 10(2), 7-32.