ABSTRACT
The field of Asian communication theory emerged in the early 1980s and has continued to evolve until today. The purpose of this chapter is to define and explicate Asiacentricity as a synthetic metatheory and as an important impetus for the future growth of Asian communication theory. The chapter first provides a brief history of the development of the field. The chapter then offers a new definition of Asiacentricity and highlights its four conceptual components (i.e., centering as thought and practice, Asians as subjects and agents, Asian cultures as reflective resources, and seeing and shaping the Asian world) for the sake of clarifying its metatheoretical visions and methodological implications. Finally, through the paradigmatic and pragmatic lens of Asiacentricity, the chapter assesses the field’s past achievements in terms of its areas of investigation, geographical scope, and comparative focus, and suggests four directions for the future of the field: (1) cross-cultural nonverbal communication; (2) family and intergenerational communication; (3) Whiteness, English, and critical rhetoric; and (4) spiritual-environmental communication ethics. The overall contention of the present chapter is that the application of Asiacentricity will help the field open up productive lines of theoretical inquiry and integrate communication research in different Asian regions and nations.
