Comparative communication studies within and beyond Great China

Abstract

The scholarship on media and communication studies focusing on Greater China has burgeoned in recent years. Yet, little is known about how such scholarship would tackle other sub-fields and the core debates and developments in communication studies beyond the scope of Greater China. In this introduction, we delineate six articles in the Special Issue ‘Comparative Communication Studies Within and Beyond China’ in terms of three layers of comparision consisting of the macro-level unit of analysis, the dimension of comparison, and the design and analysis strategy of comparison. Together, the articles deliver updated investigations about Greater China’s media and communicative environment, provide a comprehensive outlook on the insights to be gained from comparing the Greater Chinese media system with its counterparts across the world, and reflect on both differences and similarities between Greater China and other countries across a spectrum of social, political, and cultural factors.