Empire and Communications

Influential political economist and communications theorist Innis (1894-1952) originally published Empire and Communications, considered by many to be his masterwork, through the Oxford University Press in 1950. His central thesis was that the technology of communications has played a central role in determining the nature of empires. He argued that media that emphasize space, light in character, such as papyrus and paper favor centralization and relatively non-hierarchical systems of government. For example, the Roman acquisition of papyrus following its conquest of Egypt helped in the formation of a large administrative empire. In contrast, media that emphasize time, more durable but heavier substances such as parchment, clay, or stone, favor decentralization and hierarchical institutions. Innis posited that successful empires "persist by overcoming the bias of media which overemphasizes either dimension." He further argued that the United States, dominated by newspaper media at the time, had skewed towards an overemphasis on space. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Harold A. Innis was a distinguished political economist who was one of the first to study the history of communication; he also served as a dean at the University of Toronto. In addition to Empire and Communications, his other influential communication works include The Bias of Communication and Changing Concepts of Time. Innis died in Toronto in 1952.