08/05/2025 (Thursday) 15:00 ~ 16:00 E21B-G002
Thinking the World Communicatively: Passers, Media, and Agency
Abstract:
Key ideas are presented from the forthcoming book, Thinking the World Communicatively. Rather than seeing ourselves merely as actors, we are also passers—in-betweens through which others manifest and express themselves in actions and interactions. This perspective calls for a radically broad understanding of communication, one that includes not only human agents, but also other-than-human elements that participate in shaping our interactions and realities. This highlights the inherent passivity within any activity, while cautioning against reducing entities to mere relational effects and acknowledging the communicative unfolding of existence. This talk explores the philosophical, theoretical, practical, and analytical implications of thinking the world communicatively, offering insights for scholars across disciplines interested in reimagining the contours of communication.
Bio:
François Cooren (PhD, Université de Montréal, 1996) is Professor in the Department of Communication of the Université de Montréal, Canada. His research focuses on organizational communication, language and social interaction, and communication theory. He is past president of the International Communication Association (2010–2011), Past President of the International Association for Dialogue Analysis (2012–2021) and former Editor-in-Chief of Communication Theory (2005–2008). He was elected ICA Fellow in 2013, NCA Distinguished Scholar in 2017 and fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2024. He has published 16 books, more than 160 articles and book chapters, and is a founding member of the ‘Montreal School of Organizational Communication’, the Communicative Constitution of Organizations (CCO) approach.
