A history of the press (and journalism): wondering through research paths¹

Abstract

This paper is a methodological reflection about historical research applied to the Communication field. It does not only focus on the historiographical perspective that has grown in the Communication field, but mainly on the inclusion of new approaches. For that purpose, this paper presents an analysis of doctoral thesis and master’s dissertations produced in the Communication field from 1990 to 2016 that have the history of the press/journalism as a central theme. The results indicate a shift of the paradigm in these analyses through the last decade. We notice a plural and dense approach and a different perspective towards history, as a flow between times, which is essential for a better understanding of the communicational processes. This paper also aims at presenting some methodological scenarios, which can be applied to studies that have the historical issue as its reflexive core.

Keyworks
History of journalism; History of the press; Methodology; Communication; History