Mapping Media and Communication Research: France
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Department of Communication University of Helsinki Mapping Media and Communication Research: France Communication Research Centre, University of Helsinki, Finland Liina Puustinen Publisher: Type of publication: Communication Research Centre, Department of Research report Communication; Helsingin Sanomat Foundation University of Helsinki Researchers: ISBN 978-952-10-4054-2 (paperback) Liina Puustinen (researcher) ISBN 978-952-10-4055-9 (PDF) Aura Lindeberg and Elina Perttula (research assistants) Johanna Sumiala-Seppänen (project leader) Research project: Number of pages: 101 Mapping Media and Communication Research in Seven Countries Communication Research Centre CRC Language: Director: Dr. Juha Herkman English Title of the report: Mapping Media and Communication Research: France Abstract: The purpose of the project Mapping of Media and Communication Research in France is to provide an overview of the current issues, main trends, and future challenges to communication research in France. The focus is on academic research, which is defined as “Sciences de l’information et de la communication” (Infocom/SIC), or Information and Communication Sciences. The discipline was institutionally established by the CNU (Le Conseil National des Universités) in 1975. But Infocom research did not start to expand until the 1990s. The question of communication has been studied within several “old” research disciplines for a longer time (such as sociology, political science, history, economy, law, anthropology, literature studies), and the current profile of Infocom is multidisciplinary. The number of education and research institutions in Infocom all over France is myriad. The research is carried out in the universities, polytechnical institutes, research centres, and laboratories. Most of the funding comes from the state, and the rest from calls for bids, and research contracts with organisations in the public sector. The collaboration of academic research with private companies is not common in the field of Infocom in France. The Infocom research themes, theories, and methodological approaches are multidisciplinary, and thus quite varied and heterogeneous. The articulation of various approaches is the speciality of Infocom Among the few major trends is the Theory of Usages, now applied especially to studies in new communication technology. Critical studies of cultural industries are also strong, and the fields of journalism and audiovisual communication have relatively long traditions, with teaching institutions existing before Infocom was established. Also the cultural approaches such as semiology and discourse analysis have a stable position. Owing to the delay in developing the research in communication as an independent field, the definition of Infocom is an ongoing debate: whether its independent disciplinary status should be consolidated, or whether it should continue being a research object or theme for all the traditional disciplines. Despite its institutional status in the CNU, the Infocom is not represented among the disciplinary departments of the highly prestigious national research centre (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, or CNRS). Keywords: France, communication, media, academic discipline, research institutions Table of Contents Introduction........................................................................................................................................................4 1 The French Media Landscape (Aura Lindeberg).................................................................................8 1.1 The French Context.................................................................................................................................8 1.2 Media Policies and Regulations.............................................................................................................11 1.3 Broadcasting and the Press....................................................................................................................13 1.4 Media Markets.........................................................................................................................................15 1.5 Media Reception And Consumption ...................................................................................................20 2 Research Institutions and Organisations.............................................................................................24 2.1 The French University System..............................................................................................................24 2.2 Short History of the Information and Communication Sciences....................................................26 2.3 Academic Research Institutions............................................................................................................32 2.4 Foundations, Institutes and Associations............................................................................................40 2.5 Research Agencies and Companies......................................................................................................43 2.6 Academic Journals..................................................................................................................................45 2.7 Research Funding....................................................................................................................................51 3 Main Approaches in Information and Communication Research...................................................58 3.1 Previous Studies on the Main Themes ................................................................................................58 3.2 Thematic Areas on the Basis of Journal Content Analysis (Elina Perttula)...................................61 3.3 Themes and Approaches in the Interviews.........................................................................................67 4 National Characteristics of Communication Research in France....................................................70 4.1 The Debate on the Identity of the Discipline.....................................................................................70 4.2 The Culture of Independent Intellectuals ...........................................................................................72 4.3 The French Language - “A Delicate Question”.................................................................................74 4.4 Cultural Differences – Obstacles?........................................................................................................75 5 Future of Information and Communication Research......................................................................78 5.1 Emerging or Growing Research Areas................................................................................................78 5.2 The Future of the Discipline.................................................................................................................80 6 Conclusions..............................................................................................................................................82 References.........................................................................................................................................................86 Appendices........................................................................................................................................................92 Research report 4(101) Mapping Communication and Media Research Introduction “Mapping Communication and Media Research” is an international project based in the Communication Research Centre (CRC, University of Helsinki) whose purpose is to examine the contents and trends in current research in communication and media in seven countries. These countries include Finland, the United States, Germany, France, Japan, Estonia, and Australia. The project is funded by the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation, which has funded a similar project on communication and media research in South Korea. The objective is to provide a general overview of communication and media research in the aforementioned countries. The project maps the main institutions and organisations as well as the approaches and national characteristics of communication and media research in each country. The focus of the project is on the years 2005 and 2006, but some parts of the project have sample data from a longer period. Data gathering and analysis were carried out during the autumn of 2006 and the spring of 2007. The source materials include secondary data from previous studies, existing statistics, and primary data drawn from interviews with key persons in communication and media research universities and organisations. There are also specific case studies describing the special challenges of each respective country in every subproject. The project’s main research questions are as follows: • What kinds of communication and media research are carried out in a specific country? • How do different approaches relate to each other? • What is the relationship between communication research and the communication industries and what kinds of practical applications does the research have? • On what is communication and media research focused in each country and what is the direction for the future? Each country provides a unique context for communication and media research. Thus, research has been organised in different ways in each of the countries examined. In addition, the definitions