The states of spiritual communication (in part): Exploring the sharing of meaning

Abstract

Contemporary work on spirituality in the field of communication and media studies consists of three principal areas: theoretical development, field praxis and pedagogy. Fundamental is the conceptualization of spirituality as the creation of meaning, the sharing of which defines the parameters of communication. In an age in which communication is increasingly practiced via social media, people are beginning to find, and to share, their own voices for gathering and disseminating news, creative arts, and community engagement and development. Focusing on field and pedagogical work, the proposed chapter examines approaches to scholarship and application in these areas in order better to explicate how spirituality grounds communication practice, both intrinsically and among others. By doing so, exploring the spiritual dimensions of communication theory, praxis and pedagogy open possibilities for future directions for the field, as well as refined possibilities for communication pedagogy based upon listening, both within and without.