[Commlist] New book: A Theory of Communication and Justice

A Theory of Communication and Justice
By Klaus Bruhn Jensen
Routledge, 2021

https://bit.ly/3gRMeMQ <https://bit.ly/3gRMeMQ>


This book outlines a theory of communication and justice for the digital 
age, updating classic positions in political philosophy and ethics, and 
engaging thinkers from Aristotle through Immanuel Kant and the American 
pragmatists to John Rawls, Jürgen Habermas, and Amartya Sen.

In communication seeking to define justice and call out injustice, there 
is such a thing as the last word. The chapters in this book trace the 
historical emergence of communication as a human right; specify the 
technological resources and institutional frameworks necessary for 
exercising that right; and address some of the challenges following from 
digitalization that currently confront citizens, national regulators, 
and international agencies. Among the issues covered are public access 
to information archives past and present; local and global networks of 
communication as sources of personal identities and 
imagined communities; the ongoing reconfiguration of the press as a 
fourth branch of governance; and privacy as a precondition 
for individuals and collectives to live their lives according to plans, 
and to make their own histories.

*****
Reviews

A timely and scholarly work that focuses attention on the imperative to 
deepen the normative turn in communication studies and the communicative 
turn in philosophy, with focus on the articulation and practice of the 
contested concept of justice. Drawing on a diverse range of 
philosophical traditions and thinkers through a communications lens, 
Jensen succeeds in bringing together philosophy and communications 
research to propose a seminal theory of justice that speaks to 
our contemporary global dilemmas.
Anjali Monteiro, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

In a world seemingly dominated by polarization and disinformation, Klaus 
Bruhn Jensen’s impressive mastery of both classic philosophy and modern 
communication science gives his readers a new perspective on how human 
communication and social justice are fundamentally intertwined.
W. Russell Neuman, New York University

How can communication research and theory advance the cause of justice 
in the world? Klaus Bruhn Jensen’s theory of communication and justice 
illuminates many possibilities in the spaces between what is, what ought 
to be, and what could be.
Robert T. Craig, University of Colorado Boulder

Grounded in a compelling narrative arc from Charles Sanders Peirce to 
John Rawls, Klaus Bruhn Jensen provides us with a fresh pragmatist 
philosophy that recognizes communication and its accompanying goods not 
only as human rights but as engines of civilizational growth.
John Durham Peters, Yale University

In an era marked by disturbing shifts towards populism, nativism, 
identity politics and cancel culture, justice must be done and seen to 
be done. Communication on and of justice are therefore key. Drawing 
deeply on philosophical theories and the core foundations of the 
discipline of communication, Klaus Bruhn Jensen provides us with a 
reflective and provocative exposition of how justice and communication 
are deeply intertwined.
Sun Sun Lim, Singapore University of Technology and Design

Klaus Bruhn Jensen presents a timely deliberation on communication and 
justice that links philosophy and communication studies to explore 
theories and practices pertaining to this crucially important matter. 
Drawing on ethics and pragmatist inquiry, Jensen considers communication 
as action and suggests a communicative turn that may help us to better 
understand various forms of justice, including essential environmental 
concerns. This insightful book should to be taken very seriously 
by academics, policy-makers and the public.　
Janet Wasko, University of Oregon

Jensen offers us a normative theory of communication informed by an 
historically informed analysis of philosophy and communication theory. 
His goal is to understand how human communication can better contribute 
to fairness and justice. Treating communication both as a condition of 
being and becoming and as deliberative action, its potentials and 
limitations are critically weighed to assess how communication might 
make a practical difference. An inspiring and provocative foundation 
is provided for assessing entitlements to reflection and deliberation in 
a way that also will spark novel empirical research agendas.
Robin Mansell, London School of Economics and Political Science

In this timely volume Klaus Bruhn Jensen proposes nothing less than a 
theory of communication and justice. The volume travels through the 
history of ideas to explore the meeting points and different avenues of 
communication research and classic philosophy, as they relate to 
justice. In a theory-rich, yet practice-oriented, manner, Klaus Bruhn 
Jensen convincingly argues that the study of communication can and 
should engage with debates about justice.
Rikke Frank Jørgensen, The Danish Institute for Human Rights


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