ABSTRACT
The renewal of attention on ethnocentrism in communication theory in recent years suggests an impending tipping point in the research direction of the field. That Communication Monographs, a mainstream communication journal, has published an Issue Forum on “Cultural Bias in Communication Theory” (Vol. 74, No. 2, 2007, pp. 256–285) (Craig et al. (2007)) is itself a timely testimony to the increasing concern among communication researchers on the inadequacy of the Eurocentric (read Euro-American-centric) paradigm which still dominates the field. The scholars involved in the issue forum were unanimous in their assessment that existing theories are insufficient to explain global communication phenomena, but each had different suggestions as to how the deficiency can be addressed. Through a re-examination of some of the more notable developments of the ethnocentrism debate over the past twenty years, this chapter seeks to propose a culture-centric approach that transcends the clash of cultural imperatives and harmonizes the work of communication theory building for the field. In the spirit of scientific research, this paper seeks to “find harmony from discord” as envisioned by Albert Einstein:
Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.
