Translate

Friday 15 August 2014

Stephen Stockwell, Friedrich Nietzsche and Communication Theory

"Where necessity and need have long compelled men to communicate with their fellows and understand one another rapidly and subtly, a surplus of the power and art of communication is at last acquired, as if it were a fortune which had gradually accumulated, and now waited for an heir to squander it prodigally."
Nietzsche, The Gay Science, 1882

Stephen Stockwell has been with Griffith University since 1996 and is currently an Associate Professor in Journalism and Communication. His most recent work consists of the manoeuvres of spin doctors, unconventional media in Brisbane, and new thoughts on deciphering communication theory.

Written in 2006, Stockwell's 'Theory Jamming: Uses of Eclectic Method in an Ontological Spiral' suggests the diversity and contrasts of communication theory can be used positively and provide certain coherence. This occurs when the collective of communication theories is considered as a form of expression of skill, like musicians who play together, unrehearsed, their melodies ephemeral and flexible, exploring ideas and moving towards an increase in feeling and knowledge.

I enjoyed the element of this work inspired by Nietzsche, who provides us with encouragement to leap forward with certainty, from possibility to possibility. Stockwell commends his bravery but realises the necessity for further guidance when dealing with the conflicts within communication theory. The article concludes with five thesis on theory-jamming which include: eclecticism requires ethnography; Enculturation and Enumeration need each other; Ephemera and Esoterica tell us the most; Experimentation beyond Empiricism; Extravagance and Exuberance.

Stockwell, S 2006 'Theory-Jamming: uses of eclectic method in an ontological spiral', M/C Journal, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 1-4.

 Below is a list of books by Stephen Stockwell currently in the Griffith University library:

  • Stockwell, S 2005, Political Campaign Strategy: Doing Democracy in the 21st Century, Australian    Scholarly Publishing, Melbourne. 
  • Stockwell, S 2010, Rhetoric and Democracy: Deliberative Opportunities in Current Electoral Processes, VDM Saarsbruken, Germany.  
  • Stockwell, S & Scott, P 2000,  All-media Guide to Fair and Cross-Cultural Reporting: For Journalists, Program Makers and Media Students, Australian Key Centre for Cultural and Media Policy, Nathan, Queensland.  
  • Stockwell, S & Isakhan, B 2012, The Edinburgh Companion to the History of Democracy, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), Cambridge. 
  • Stockwell, S & Isakhan, B 2011, The Secret History of Democracy, Palgrave Macmillan, London.  
What database would you use to find Stockwell's first academic article about Brisbane in a national journal? What year? Provide a full citation.

Database: Taylor and Francis Online; 
Year: 1995;
Reference: Stockwell, S, 1995, ‘The Brisbane Model: considering a unique experiment’ Urban Policy and Research, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 89-96.




No comments:

Post a Comment