Communication Theory After the Administered Society: The “Total Market” in the Writings of the Departamento Ecuménico de Investigaciones

Abstract

The Departamento Ecuménico de Investigaciones (DEI) is an independent research institute located in San José, Costa Rica, whose members include many notable Latin American social theorists, philosophers, and theologians. Through the institute’s many publications, these scholars have articulated a unique version of critical theory with the aim of fostering a dialogue between philosophy, theology, and the social sciences. The institute’s importance to communication researchers lies both in the sophistication of its social analyses and in its status as a viable model of socially engaged scholarly praxis. Of particular relevance to communication scholars is the DEI’s conceptualization and analysis of the “total market,” a term that refers to the social environment created by neoliberal globalization. The concept of the total market can refocus communication theory in light of contemporary socioeconomic conditions.