Paradigm, position and partnerships: Difference in communication studies

Cultural and media studies' (CMS) relationship with communication science has sometimes seemed a little dogmatic, its tone a result of its equal insistence that scientific law always necessarily serves sectional interests. This article sets up a dialogue between the two paradigms, while arguing for caution in accepting ‘positivist’ epistemology premised on the natural sciences. Cultural and media studies stress critique and interpretation over hypothesis testing, measuring and describing. Quantitative scholars, conversely, are reluctant to admit qualitative methods, fearing implicit subjectivity. This article critically examines these oppositions in the context of approaches to South African communication studies.