What counts as critical interpersonal and family communication research? A review of an emerging field of inquiry

Abstract

A critical turn is currently taking place in interpersonal and family communication (IFC) studies, thereby reorienting the predominantly post-positivist, rationalist, and individualist sensibilities that have long characterized the sub-field. However, questions remain about what counts – or not – as critical interpersonal and family communication (CIFC) inquiry. In this review essay, we first critique historical definitions of IFC. Second, we characterize the few recent instances of meta-communication about CIFC as lacking a coherent vision. Third, we distinguish IFC from CIFC in terms of study topics and metatheoretical commitments. Fourth, we advocate for a more inclusive yet nuanced understanding of what counts by delimiting CIFC studies as a multiplicity of politics. Finally, we offer future recommendations for this area of inquiry.

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