The theories used to study communication creates limitations for cultures outside of the culture where the theory was developed. Communication theory created in American culture is unfair because it doesn’t address race as a practical part of communication (Allen, 2007). The failure to include race as part of communication theory alienates the potential to understand communication completely. In the same point, communication theory must recognize the problems created when not considering all cultures. As Kim (2002) stated, “One would not expect much challenge to the assertion that communication theories today are imbued with the ideologies associated with North American culture” (as cited in Kim, 2007, p. 279). When communication theories are created through the study of one or more of similar cultures those outside can’t not be evaluated accurately from such theory. Thus the problem communication theory has is dealing with the problem of meanings through language and culture (Peters, 1989). There are ways to potentially avoid this types of problem in communication theory by looking into …show more content…
266). Opening up the context in study of communication allows the scholar to examine the cultural beliefs and practices in a more comprehensive way. Consequently, opening up the understanding of communication study by including previously excluded groups. Another alternative to consider viewing communication through an entirely different lens. Miike (2007) talks about viewing communication through an “Asiacentric vantage point… communication theorizing in the local community and the global society ought to move beyond the dualistic think of provincial specificity versus applicability” (p.277). This dialogic approach is shift from the paradigm of either/or to the both/and paradigm (Baxter & Montgomery, 1996, as cited in Allen, Orbe, and Olivas, 1999). The shift in paradigm allow the scholar to study communication with a different understand and has the potential to provide different results. As stated above, the communication theories have the potential to create restrictions in theorizing but it doesn’t stop