Papers by Dominique Trudel
Sur le journalisme, About journalism, Sobre jornalismo, 2017
Cet article propose de comparer deux manières d’articuler les univers journalis- tique et univer... more Cet article propose de comparer deux manières d’articuler les univers journalis- tique et universitaire, soit le projet Thought News, conçu par des journalistes et universitaires américains à la fin du XIXe siècle, et The Conversation, un réseau global de sites d’information et de chercheurs universitaires qui est aujourd’hui en pleine ex- pansion. Dans la perspective d’une comparaison historique « à longue portée » envisagée par Marc Bloch (1928) et de la critique de l’histoire whig du journalisme de James Carey (1974), l’analyse situe Thought News et The Conversation dans leur contexte historique particulier en explorant les transformations du journalisme et de la recherche universitaire qui leur sont associées. Pour ce faire, notre analyse prend spécifiquement pour objet des textes pro- grammatiques qui détaillent les projets éditoriaux respectifs de ces initiatives, notamment à travers les métaphores du pipeline et du corps social, et qui formulent des critiques d...
International Journal of Žižek Studies, 2016
This report explores the history of alternative communication technologies and networks (“alterne... more This report explores the history of alternative communication technologies and networks (“alternets”). It focuses on three historic formations of alternets: 1) the community telephone networks of the late 19th and early 20th century, 2) the Free Radio movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s, and 3) the first generation of community networks providing Internet access in the 1990’s. For each of these movements, the deliverable offers case studies of specific alternets in various countries, mostly in Europe but also in North America. For each of them, we focus on key issues of the netCommons project such as the governance of networks, their long-term sustainability and technological aspects, as well as the political and legal hurdles they faced. The report concludes by drawing parallels and lessons that may be relevant to guide the actions of today’s community networks.
In this dissertation, I question the emergence of what I call the war/communication/public proble... more In this dissertation, I question the emergence of what I call the war/communication/public problem in the work of renowned journalist and writer Walter Lippmann (1889-1974), before addressing the subsequent unfolding of two contemporary power formations, namely the spectacle and the biopolitical control society. At a theoretical and methodological level, this dissertation is based upon Michel Foucault's (1997) analytics of power as war, which links historical enquiry and power analysis. Through this perspective, this dissertation relates both to historical inquiry and to power analysis, and aims both to produce original historical knowledge and to mobilize that knowledge in order to shed light on some aspects of contemporary exercise of power, especially with respect to the knowledge it mobilizes. The first part of this dissertation addresses the reversal of Clausewitz's relation between war and politics, which characterizes Lippmann's work and is central to the war/communication/public problem. In order to highlight this reversal, this dissertation revisits the question of Lippmann's intellectual influences, thanks of archival work as well as to the genealogical analysis of the notion of cold war (which is usually attributed to Lippmann). In doing so, this first part of the dissertation contributes to the historiographical debates relating to the Lippmann's contribution to communication theory (debates with which this dissertation converses), especially by suggestion a new outlook on the Dewey-Lippmann debate and the latter's relationships to pragmatist philosophy. The second part of this dissertation questions the functioning of contemporary power as a spectacle and as a biopolitical control society, through the war/communication/public problem. This endeavor allows pinpointing some aspects of these power formations, especially with respect to their historical events, their modes of operation, their anchoring in war and strategy, as well as their respective relationships.
Communication, 2012
Ce document a été généré automatiquement le 14 janvier 2021. Les contenus de la revue Communicati... more Ce document a été généré automatiquement le 14 janvier 2021. Les contenus de la revue Communication sont mis à disposition selon les termes de la Licence Creative Commons Attribution-Pas d'Utilisation Commerciale-Pas de Modification 4.0 International. Quelle nouvelle histoire pour la recherche en communication ? Le cas de Walte...
Ce mémoire s'intéresse à la pensée critique en sciences de la communication. À partir du constat ... more Ce mémoire s'intéresse à la pensée critique en sciences de la communication. À partir du constat d'une crise de la critique, il propose des éléments susceptibles de contribuer à son renouvellement. Pour ce faire, il formule une critique de l'épistémologie cybernétique dominante en sciences de la communication, notamment en ce qui a trait à sa conception de la subjectivité. Il propose de lui substituer des bases épistémologiques différentes qui s'inspirent fortement des travaux du philosophe Cornelius Castoriadis. Cette proposition s'incarne ensuite dans le cas d'un concept critique en particulier, la contre-publicité. Après avoir exposé comment la contre-publicité s'inscrit-de façon problématique et paradoxaleà la fois dans différentes articulations du paradigme critique tout comme dans le paradigme cybernétique dominant, ce mémoire met de l'avant une nouvelle compréhension du concept conséquente avec sa proposition épistémologique principale ainsi qu'avec l'objectif général d'apporter des solutions à la crise de la critique. Il prend soin de montrer comment cette nouvelle compréhension du concept de contre-publicité, en plus d'être plus juste épistémologiquement, est empiriquement justifiable de par sa proximité avec les pratiques contre-publicitaires du groupe Rec1aim the Streets.
Based on a close study of Walter Lippmann's correspondence and publications, this article aims to... more Based on a close study of Walter Lippmann's correspondence and publications, this article aims to critically reconsider his legacy in the field of communication. To this end, I focus on Lippmann's involvement in propaganda and psychological warfare activities during the Second World War. Following a succinct overview of the history of the psychological warfare and propaganda agencies, I successively explore three different aspects of Lippmann's involvement. First, this article examines Lippmann's contribution to the activities of the Committee for National Morale. Second, the article focuses on the relationship between Lippmann and William "Wild Bill" Donovan, the director of the Office of the Coordinator of Information and the Office of Strategic Services. Third, the article turns to the relationship between Lippmann and Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy, and explores Lippmann's role in the War Department's Psychological Warfare Branch.
Journal of Alternative & Community Media
This article explores the legal, economic and governance challenges to the sustainability of cont... more This article explores the legal, economic and governance challenges to the sustainability of contemporary alternative Community Networks by drawing lessons and parallels from eight historical precedents. Building on academic literature related to alternative and community media, the article lays out an encompassing definition of alternative networks (or ‘alternets’) and develops a multidisciplinary approach to comparative history. After briefly presenting eight case studies (three independent telephone networks of the late nineteenth century; three Free Radios of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s; two Community Networks providing Internet access in the 1990s), the article then draws from these case studies to identify key recurring challenges that can inform present-day initiatives, namely, the articulation of local community with global connectivity, the development of political advocacy capacities aimed at influencing the law and technology, the creation of appropriate resources aimed at...
Canadian Journal of Communication, 2015
Canadian Journal of Communication, 2016
This article aims to reconsider some recent interpretations of the debate on the role of public o... more This article aims to reconsider some recent interpretations of the debate on the role of public opinion in democracies that opposed John Dewey and Walter Lippmann throughout the 1920s. To this end, this article examines Dewey and Lippmann's involvement in the "outlawry of war" debate during the same era. The analysis of this other debate sheds a new light on the political, philosophical, and epistemological differences that are described by James Carey, although minimized by a growing body of revisionist historiography.
Communiquer. Revue de communication sociale et publique, 2015
Cet article rend compte de deux nouvelles perspectives en histoire de la communication : la nouve... more Cet article rend compte de deux nouvelles perspectives en histoire de la communication : la nouvelle histoire des études en communication et les histoires sociales et médio-archéologiques des médias. Nous présenterons d'abord les contextes d'émergence ainsi que les contributions propres à ces deux renouveaux historiques, pour ensuite tenter de les articuler en examinant leurs contributions et leurs limites. Ce faisant, nous souhaitons contribuer à ce numéro thématique de trois façons, soit 1) en offrant un aperçu critique de perspectives qui ont récemment redynamisé la recherche en communication ; 2) en problématisant certains des enjeux inhérents à la pratique de l'histoire ; et 3) en esquissant quelques-unes des lignes de convergence pouvant solidariser l'histoire de la communication et l'histoire des médias. Mots-clés : histoire de la communication, théories de la communication, histoire des médias, archéologie médiatique, études médiatiques, épistémologie, représentation.
Commposite, Dec 1, 2006
L'émergence du paradigme cybernétique est à la base des révolutions scientifiques du siècle derni... more L'émergence du paradigme cybernétique est à la base des révolutions scientifiques du siècle dernier et de celles qui risquent de bouleverser le prochain, notamment dans le domaine de l'ingénierie génétique. Dans le cas particulier des sciences de la communication, la place prépondérante du couple cybernétique/théorie de l'information dans son épistémologie particulière et ses prémisses apparaît inégalée. Mais l'évolution disciplinaire se faisant, une distance confortable s'installe bientôt entre une science et ses radicalités, si bien qu'elles ne sont que trop rarement remises en cause. L'objectif de cette contribution est double. En premier lieu, il s'agit de revenir aux sources premières de la théorie cybernétique afin d'en exposer la dimension la plus fondamentale : celle de la conception du sujet qu'elle véhicule. En second lieu, il apparaît nécessaire d'exposer les problèmes soulevés par une telle conception du sujet et de proposer une alternative. À ce titre, l'oeuvre du philosophe Cornelius Castoriadis est porteuse d'une critique virulente à l'encontre de la cybernétique tout comme d'un projet social concurrent qui questionne jusqu'aux catégories les plus essentielles de toutes : celles de la politique, de la vie et de la mort. Notice biographique : Dominique Trudel termine présentement une maîtrise en sciences de la communication à l'Université de Montréal. Son mémoire aborde la délicate question de l'espace public contemporain, considérée à travers la matrice du concept de contre-public/contre-publicité et du cas du groupe d'action directe Reclaim the Streets. Dans le cadre de ses différents projets, l'auteur s'intéresse particulièrement aux questions d'épistémologie et de philosophie de la communication ainsi qu'aux théories critiques.
Commposite, Dec 8, 2014
As an answer to the perceived crisis of critical theory, this article attempts to extend the crit... more As an answer to the perceived crisis of critical theory, this article attempts to extend the critical theory of Max Horkheimer into the project of a new history of communication studies. To this end, this article proposes a new history of critical theory as a critique of the bourgeois philosophy of history that serves as an anchoring point to the articulation of critical theory with the project of a new history of communication studies.
Commposite, Apr 17, 2010
Dans cet entretien, Serge Proulx évoque ses rencontres avec des figures intellectuelles marquante... more Dans cet entretien, Serge Proulx évoque ses rencontres avec des figures intellectuelles marquantes des sciences sociales, notamment Marcel Rioux, Edgar Morin et Gregory Bateson. Ces rencontres constituent le prisme à travers lequel se réfléchissent des considérations sur l'histoire, le développement, l'épistémologie et la dimension politique du champ d'étude de la communication. Mots-clés : histoire des idées; histoire intellectuelle; cybernétique; sociologie; idéologie de la communication.
Canadian Journal of Communication
This special issue of the Canadian Journal of Communication (CJC) explores some of the connection... more This special issue of the Canadian Journal of Communication (CJC) explores some of the connections between cybernetics and diverse fields of study: communication studies, media theory, philosophy, agriculture, and architecture. When putting it together, we intended to explore how the heritage of cybernetics has been put to work following the field's relative decline. The term "cybernetics" generally refers to an interdisciplinary science that federated a diverse number of scholars around computing and systems theory in the late 1940s. Following the Second World War, and in reaction to major technological innovations in data processing, scholars from a broad spectrum of backgrounds (psychiatry, neuroscience, mathematics, electronical engineering, biology, economy, and anthropology) joined forces in the hope of advancing knowledge about information and communication systems, whether mechanical, cognitive, or cultural. Cybernetics gained most of its visibility during the Macy Conferences, held in New York City, New York, and Princeton, New Jersey, from 1946 to 1953. It also became globally popular in part thanks to the favourable reception of Norbert Wiener's (1961) publication Cybernetics, or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine in 1948. It was in that book that Wiener famously explained how the name "cybernetics" was decided upon. For more than a decade after 1946, the project of cybernetics attracted unprecedented worldwide interest and led to several crucial technological and intellectual developments. By the late 1950s, however, enthusiasm for the general science of cybernetics fizzled out in both North America and Europe, most notably in France where it had gained a solid notoriety (Breton, 1984; Le Roux, 2009). Even though it had been a mainstream science for a brief period, cybernetics was pushed to the margins. Despite this less than favourable context, some scholars who had engaged with cybernetics continued to put its concepts to work, and recursively applied cybernetics principles to cybernetics itself. Their work, beginning in the 1970s, was labelled "second-order cybernetics" (Clarke & Hansen, 2009). Similar to those scholars who continued to apply cybernetics principles, we continue to believe that this field has value to communication studies. Thus the initial argument for this special issue was that even beyond the second generation of cyberneticists, the legacy of cybernetics was farreaching. As such, we were interested in how cybernetic concepts, metaphors, and media largely transcended the boundaries of the initial project and were mobilized in a plurality of fields of study, theories, discourses, and artistic practices with a relationship to cybernetics that often remains implicit. How were these ideas, discourses, and theories exported, adapted, or even distorted over time by others? In particular, and
Based on a close study of Walter Lippmann’s correspondence and publications, this article aims to... more Based on a close study of Walter Lippmann’s correspondence and publications, this article aims to critically reconsider his legacy in the field of communication. To this end, I focus on Lippmann’s involvement in propaganda and psychological warfare activities during the Second World War. Following a succinct overview of the history of the psychological warfare and propaganda agencies, I successively explore three different aspects of Lippmann’s involvement. First, this article examines Lippmann’s contribution to the activities of the Committee for National Morale. Second, the article focuses on the relationship between Lippmann and William “Wild Bill” Donovan, the director of the Office of the Coordinator of Information and the Office of Strategic Services. Third, the article turns to the relationship between Lippmann and Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy, and explores Lippmann’s role in the War Department’s Psychological Warfare Branch.
Durant une vingtaine d’années, le projet de construction d’une Tour Lumière Cybernétique à Paris ... more Durant une vingtaine d’années, le projet de construction d’une Tour Lumière Cybernétique à Paris a suscité un grand intérêt dans l’opinion publique, dans différents cercles artistiques et scientifiques ainsi que chez de nombreux politiciens et administrateurs. Grandiose, la tour imaginée par l’artiste franco-hongrois Nicolas Schöffer (1912-1992) constituait tout à la fois une œuvre d’art et un média total d’un genre nouveau, capable d’opérer une synthèse des médias de communication de l’époque, mais également d’ajuster et d’équilibrer les activités humaines à l’environnement, qui est considérée comme un média dans tous les sens du terme, c’est-à-dire comme un milieu de vie ainsi qu’en tant que matière artistique à élaborer. Pour Schöffer, la Tour Lumière Cybernétique constitue l’amorce d’un projet social et politique révolutionnaire. Épicentre de la ville cybernétique, la Tour Schöffer avait pour objectif l’établissement d’une nouvelle forme cybernétique de gouvernement par l’information qui devait pallier les institutions politiques traditionnelles. Mais comment un projet d’une telle envergure et d’une telle ambition a-t-il pu susciter un tel engouement, notamment de la part de la classe politique? Retour sur une utopie oubliée.
@franklinfordbot is a bot that tweets excerpts from the writings of Franklin Ford. An intriguing ... more @franklinfordbot is a bot that tweets excerpts from the writings of Franklin Ford. An intriguing figure in the history of American journalism, Franklin Ford (1849-1918) is mostly known for his association with John Dewey, with whom he tried to launch Thought News, a "philosophical newspaper" that never saw the light of day. But beyond that footnote in Dewey's career and in journalism history, Ford's role and his contribution need to be revisited, not only because he was a fascinating media theorist and a compelling writer, but also because reading Ford is a jumping-off point for experimentations and theoretical developments that speak to contemporary media problems. In that regard, @franklinfordbot is an experiment, a remediation of Franklin Ford.
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Papers by Dominique Trudel