METHODOLOGY /PRINCIPLES / 313
1: G. Buccellati, January 2011
The nature of communicationCommunication is the ultimate target of research.The sharing of results is structurally embedded in the process itself: this is because the categorization and organization of the data, the clarification of their mutual interrelationships, the articulation of arguments based on them – all of these are intrinsic components of a dialogic attitude. The researcher's dialog may well be with his or her own inner self, as the first audience. But there is, ultimately, the "other" towards whom the dialog is aimed. This "other," i.e., the audience, inevitably conditions the process of research in the first place. To the extent that any result emerges from that process, it cannot be formless. And as soon as it takes form, it has to be channeled in expressive mechanisms that are mutually understandable. No matter how path-breaking and original a research may be, it must be conceptualized and expressed in modes that fall within limits, the limits of culture. It must be "communicated." Back to top Publication and outreachThe term communication may at first suggest that it is only aimed at broad public interests, as if in a journalistic sense. "Outreach" is the term used to refer to this type of communication.I see in this the danger of extrinsicism. Back to top Types of audienceThe term communication may at first suggest that it is only aimed at broad public interests. Communication is then seen, with a term that has become commonplace, as "outreach." This notion of TEXT TO BE COMPLETEDIn its basic meaning, communication includes scholarly as well as popular publications. But these are not two realms separated by an impassable barrier. Quite on the contrary, there is continuum where different stages must be bridged artfully Back to top Types of mediaTEXT TO BE WRITTENBack to top Modes of communicationThere are three major modes of communication.The first is documentary, and it includes in turn two distinct moments: statements of fact and arguments. Each is provided with suitable reference to the evidence, i.e., with documentation, in such a way that a verifiable trail is maintained and made avaliable, i. e., published. The second is synthetic. It offers arguments in broad outline, without a direct and comprehensive documentation – which, in effect, it should presuppose and build on. The third is impressionistic. Back to top The communication continuumThe boundaries among audiences, media and modes of communication are fluid. The documentary TEXT TO BE COMPLETEDArchaeology is positioned in a privileged way to serve as a model for a fully integrated approach to communication. As archaeologists, we have the unique opportunity to cover the full range of publication types and to address all audiences. First, the excavation site itself, following the site presentation model I have been advocating, serves a prime documentary function by calling to the attention of visiting scholars features that can best be appreciated in their physical embodiment. But even such technical details can be of interest to a casual visitor who is led, along the way, to ask questions the answer to which lies precisely in the documentation. Conversely, even the scholar benefits from an impressionistic view that includes, for example, the beauty of the landscape as the backdrop for the architectural remains. The website works in much the same way. While the Global Record presents data in the most technical of details, even children may feel encouraged to follow links that take them to the higher level of documentation and analysis. Back to top |