Lecture d’Empire and Communications de Harold Innis (2e édition)

En vue de préparer une présentation scientifique en mai, j’explore certains éléments de la bibliographie de l’appel de communication.

Pour aujourd’hui, je me concentre sur:

Innis, H. & Watson, A., 2007. Empire and Communications, Dundurn Press. Canada. Retrieved from https://coilink.org/20.500.12592/cs68g3 on 02 Apr 2025. COI: 20.500.12592/cs68g3. Notice bibliographique https://concordiauniversity.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1280275325

Kane, O. (2016). « Communication studies, disciplination, and the ontological stakes of interdisciplinarity: A critical review », Communication & Society, vol. 29, nº 3, p. 87-102. https://revistas.unav.edu/index.php/communication-and-society/article/view/35825

Kane, O. (2010). « Institution et légitimation d’une quasi-discipline : le triple destin (sciences, études et champ) de la communication », Communiquer, vol. 16, n° 2, p. 87-102, https://journals.openedition.org/ricsp/1580
Source: Appel de communication du colloque Les communs au coeur de la culture, des médias et de l’information

D’entrée de jeu, j’ai noté que Kane cite Innis et j’ai tout de suite bifurqué vers ce texte fondateur. Je l’ai croisé quelques fois et j’ai toujours voulu m’y attarder!

Watson propose une préface de cette seconde édition, rediffusée en livre numérique par Dundrum Press en 2007. Watson présice que la veuve d’Innis a proposé quelques ajustements au texte, se basant sur des notes de l’auteur après sa mort. Vous pouvez trouver la première édition de ce livre en ligne, gratuitement, sur le site du Projet Gutenberg Canada.

Donc, selon Watson :

“One of Innis’s central ideas was that consciousness was in large part structured by the technologies that were used to express thought. We should not be surprised then that Innis, in trying to break through the limitations of the worldview of his time, was experimenting with the oral presentation and material production of the ideas he was formulating. In many ways, he was anticipating the possibilities that the Internet, word-processing software, and search engines would bring into being only two generations after his death.” (p. 17)

Dans on introduction, Innis indique que le Canada produit de plus en plus de papier, et que son coût tend à chuter. Cela aide à établir et maintenir l’empire Britannique (p.24-25). Il note ainsi son objectif:

I shall attempt to outline the significance of communication in a small number of empires as a means of understanding its role in a general sense and as a background to an appreciation of its significance to the British Empire. (p. 26)

De fait, Innis propose que les forces « centrifuges et centripètes » des grandes époques impériales de Bryce coincident avec les supports physiques pour l’information de l’époque, notemment qu’elles

correspond roughly first to that dominated by clay and papyrus, second to that dominated by parchment, and third to that dominated by paper. The effective government of large areas depends to a very important extent on the efficiency of communication. (p.26)

Ainsi,

The concepts of time and space reflect the significance of media to civilization. Media that emphasize time are those that are durable in character, such as parchment, clay, and stone. The heavy materials are suited to the development of architecture and sculpture. Media that emphasize space are apt to be less durable and light in character, such as papyrus and paper. (p.26)

Une grosse bureaucratie (style Empire) a besoin de communiquer dans l’espace plutôt que le temps (donc, beaucoup de papier), car

Large-scale political organizations such as empires must be considered from the standpoint of two dimensions, those of space and time, and persist by overcoming the bias of media which over-emphasize either dimension. They have tended to flourish under conditions in which civilization reflects the influence of more than one medium and in which the bias of one medium towards decentralization is offset by the bias of another medium towards centralization. (p.27)

Néanmoins, il est possible de diviser la civilisation occidentale entre la période d’écriture (parchemin, tablettes d’argile ou de pierre) et celle de l’imprimé (p.27). Il ne faut pas, bien sûr, négliger de souligner l’importance de la parole ou spoken word (p.27) ou de la musique et du chant (p.28). Citant voltaire: “Ils ne se servent de la pensée que pour autoriser leurs injustices, et n’emploient les paroles que pour déguiser leurs pensées” (p.28). Innis précise les limitations de ses recherches ainsi:

The significance of a basic medium to its civilization is difficult to appraise since the means of appraisal are influenced by the media, and indeed the fact of appraisal 15 appears to be
peculiar to certain types of media.A change in the type of medium implies a change in the type of appraisal and hence makes it difficult for one civilization to understand another.The difficulty is enhanced by the character of the material, particularly its relative permanence. (…)

I have attempted to meet these problems by using the concept of empire as an indication of the efficiency of communication. It will reflect to an important extent the efficiency of particular media of communication and its possibilities in creating conditions favourable to creative thought. In a sense these lectures become an extension of the work of Graham Wallas and of E.J. Urwick. (p. 29)

Pour tout dire, Innis conclut son premier chapitre en précisant:

Graham Wallas has reminded us that writing as compared with speaking involves an impression at the second remove and reading an impression at the third remove. The voice of a second-rate person is more impressive than the published opinion of superior ability.

Such generalizations as to the significance of writing tend to hamper more precise study and to obscure the differences between civilizations insofar as they are dependent on various media of communication. We shall attempt to suggest the roles of different media with reference to civilizations and to contrast the civilizations. (p. 31)

Chapitre 2: l’Égypte (pp. 32-45)

Chapitre 3: Babylonie (pp. 46-74)

Chapitre 4: La tradition orale et la civilisation grèque (pp. 75-105)

Chapitre 5: La tradition écrite et l’empire romain (pp. 106-137)

Chapitre 6: Le parchemain et le papier (pp. 138-163)

Chapitre 7: Papier et la presse d’impression (pp. 164-198)

Il n’y a pas de conclusion générale. Je reviendrai aux travaux de Kane dans un prochain billet.

Ce contenu a été mis à jour le 2025-04-04 à 11 h 04 min.