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New Perspectives on Critical Communication Studies, Vol. 11 - 2004, No. 3
Critical Communications Research in Australia: From Radical Populism to Creative Industries
This paper tracks the development of critical communications research in Australia over a 30- year period. It assesses the relative significance of critical theory, Marxist political economy and cultural studies to the development of such a tradition, linking this to distinctive elements of Australian politics and culture, particularly the weakness of the institutional left and the significance of populism as a mode of political engagement. The paper also evaluates the rise of “creative industries” discourse as an emergent development, and a distinctive contribution of Australian media and communications research to the field internationally.