Theoretical-Methodological Dilemmas and Choices for the Study of Media Systems. A Proposal for Economic-Political Reform Situations

Main Article Content

Dasniel Olivera Pérez
José Refugio Arellano Sánchez

Abstract

Media system analysis requires establishing analytical simplifications addressing the unique, diverse, and contextualized nature of media around the world, especially in contexts where political change is contested and 'discrepancies' with global processes are observed. This article draws on the context of Cuba during Raúl Castro's presidency (2006-2018) as a benchmark, aiming to identify dilemmas and theoretical-methodological options for the study of national media systems during periods of similar economic-political reforms. This contextual framework guides the strategy for searching, selecting, and retrieving information, employing a bibliographic-documentary review method. First, the article distinguishes and describes dilemmas related to the limits and centrality of politics, the relationship between the national and the transnational, the relationship between structure and agency, and the relevance of the cultural dimension. Then, it argues for three methodological strategies whose integration would address the aforementioned dilemmas, the complexity of studying a media system, the distinction of emerging interpretive frameworks, and the socialization of knowledge: the historical[1]spatial-temporal perspective, analytical regeneration, orientation towards the discursive, and knowledge representation. Conclusions highlight the relevance of applying a comparative approach to integrate the different strategies, and the positioning regarding the described issues is distinguished from a contextual, relational, changing, diverse, and interactive perspective between boundaries, actors, and structures.


How to Cite
Olivera Pérez, D., & Arellano Sánchez, J. R. (2024). Theoretical-Methodological Dilemmas and Choices for the Study of Media Systems. A Proposal for Economic-Political Reform Situations. Anagramas Rumbos Y Sentidos De La Comunicación, 23(45), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.22395/angr.v23n45a07

Article Details

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Author Biographies

Dasniel Olivera Pérez, Universidad Iberoamericana

Investigador postdoctoral, Centro de Estudios Sociológicos, Facultad de Ciencias Políticas,
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Doctor en Ciencias Sociales y Políticas, Universidad Iberoamericana,
México. Correo electrónico: dasnieloliveraperez@gmail.com, Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0342-8278

José Refugio Arellano Sánchez, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Profesor-investigador Titular 'C', Centro de Estudios Sociológicos, Facultad de Ciencias Políticas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Doctor en Sociología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Correo electrónico: josearel@unam.mx, Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8058-4234