Communicative Spheres Towards a Localized Theory of Communicative Action

摘要

Habermas' Theory of Communicative Action has been one of the most extensive theories of communication and its role in society. However, after some decades its limitations also become apparent. For one thing, it lacks any conceptualization of space and for that reason has difficulty in accounting for the localized nature of communicative action. The same blind spot for communicative space can be observed in the Information System field in general and the communication-oriented approaches (such as Language/Action, Organizational Semiotics) in particular. This paper aims to be first step in addressing these research gaps. It contains a critical review of the Theory of Communicative Action and a short overview of previous work in the conceptualization of space. It then presents an initial ontology of communicative spheres and discusses possible applications in IS.