On the policy reflex in Canadian communication studies 629

ABSTRACT This commentary notes the existence of a “policy reflex ” in Canadian commu-nication studies. The author suggests that many scholars engage in issues having to do with policy even if “policy analysis ” is not the goal of scholarship. This tendency is in part due to a limited understanding of policy or a tendency among some scholars to see their work as “critical ” over other possible characterizations. In many cases a turn to policy has a symbolic function, marking absence rather than presence. In a research field characterized by major gaps in research and in the face of convoluted or missing data, what we call “policy analy-sis ” often emerges largely by default. The article discusses consequences of this reflex on pol-icy scholarship and public discourses of culture. KEYWORDS Communication policy; Canada; Methodological approaches Communication studies RÉSUMÉ Ce commentaire note l’existence d’un certain « réflexe politique » dans les études en communication au Canada. En effet, l’auteur observe que plusieurs savants traitent de politiques presque malgré eux, dans des circonstances où « l’analyse de politiques » n’est pas le but de leurs recherches. On peut attribuer cette tendance à une compréhension limitée de