Norbert Elias’ contribution to communication studies: mediatization and communicative figurations

Abstract

Norbert Elias is an author traditionally absent in communication studies. His relevance for this field has begun to be defended recently, an argumentative line with which this paper is also identified. The article has two interrelated aims. First, present the main dimensions of Norbert Elias’ analysis on human communication. Second, critically examine several current studies that, in communication studies, take this author as a theoretical reference for their research. To achieve the first aim, it is analysed Theory of the Symbol, a book originally published in 1989, where Elias collects his reflections about the communicational and symbolic dimensions of human being. To achieve the second goal, the paper is focused on the concept of Communicative Figuration, recently developed according to an eliasian perspective, and currently applied in several studies devoted to the topic of mediatization.