Crafting society : ethnicity, class, and communication theory / Donald G. Ellis.

First published in 1999. This paperback edition published in 2011.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-219) and indexes.

1. Constructing Communication Theory -- 2. Medium Theory -- 3. Meaning, Discourse, and Society -- 4. Principles of Interdependence and Structuration -- 5. Ethnicity and Its Shadow -- 6. Class: The Presence that Dare Not Speak Its Name.

"In this monograph, Donald G. Ellis considers three key issues in communication theory: the growing emphasis of meaning; the importance of a mediated culture; and the links between "micro" communication activities by individuals and "macro" social categories such as ethnicity and social class. In response to these issues, Ellis examines the way people use language and communication to construct their worlds - worlds which are not constructed purely but rather are influenced by attitudes, ideologies, and biases. The medium of communication has a significant impact on consciousness and society, and Ellis shows how these media are responsible for some of the fault lines in society. He also explores principles of medium theory and documents the impact of media on psychological and sociological phenomena. The work of such scholars as Goffman, Giddens, and Randall Collins is extended to show how micro communication behaviors are implicated in and by social conditions." "Based on scholarship in communication theory, discourse and language, media, and related areas, Crafting Society is appropriate for scholars, researchers, and graduate students in these and related disciplines."--BOOK JACKET.