Media Tactics in the Long Twentieth Century

“The editors of Media Tactics in the Long Twentieth Century have shaken the concept of media tactics loose from the military, propaganda and strategic communication contexts they formerly belonged to. Instead they propose seeing media tactics and counter-tactics as a key to understanding media power. Their practice-based and historical approach is a genuinely innovative move. I believe that following the editors’ lead through this collection’s stimulating range of articles will be highly rewarding not only for media and other historians but for media and communications researchers more generally.” Espen Ytreberg, Professor of Media Studies at the Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo “This carefully curated collection provides a much-needed historical corrective to contemporary debates about strategic communication, reminding us of its long historical roots and many historical precedents, from propaganda and covert influence operations to public diplomacy. Inviting us to look beyond the neat designs of strategic communication, the contributors draw attention to the fascinating, messy world of media and communication ‘tactics’ and the many ways in which these tactics can expand, adapt, and sometimes subvert and resist strategic goals.” Sabina Mihelj, Professor of Media and Cultural Analysis at the School of Social Sciences, Loughborough University “This imaginative collection lays bare the ‘messy’ tactics that have underpinned the fundamentally key relationship between media and power around the world and over time. Occasionally there are no ‘rational’ or easily theorised explanations for why and how individuals, institutions, and governments react the way they do. Failure is often intrinsic to the process and there are uncomfortable truths to be faced. The dialectical relationship between ‘strategy’ and ‘tactic’ explored in several essays also raises interesting avenues for future research.” Chandrika Kaul, Professor of Modern History at the School of History, University of St Andrews