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This article develops a critique of academic globalization theory from the viewpoint of media and communications. First, it discusses the overall importance of media and communications for the core argument of globalization theory, namely that the contemporary period has witnessed a dramatic shift in the spatio-temporal constitution of society. This is followed by a reconstruction and critique of such a line of reasoning in the work of two notable globalization theorists, Manuel Castells and Arjun Appadurai. It is argued that their positions are founded on an overtly media-centric and unhistorical treatment of globalization that lacks a critical materialist analysis of how the global media sphere has developed in the recent decades. It is further argued that such positions can be understood in the context of the rise of neoliberalism that overlaps with the development of globalization theory.

Post world war global scenario witnessed derivation of new world views on various spheres of human life viz. polity, economy, development and even the existence of humanity. Hence environmental issues as a movement took shape according to their popular concern about environmental pollution and the depletion of natural resources. Subsequently there casted more focus on environment from international community as legislations and various national and international factions and blocs came to existence with different world views in a way that more or less reflects their political stands and affiliations. Later events corroborate the very controversies and contradictions between developed and developing countries where the North and South dichotomy unveiled with arguments of industrialisation, poverty and population. This paper tries to delineate trajectory of emergence and development of different environmental world views with the help of literatures which marked milestones in the environmental discourses.

This essay provides a brief overview of the dominant trends in Arab media research, paying particular attention to the most common methodologies they rely on. To understand the current state of Arab media scholarship, the article explores the various influences that have played a decisive role in determining the quality and quantity of research productivity. Factors such as the Arab countries' historical roots, traditional societies, patterns in education, and current conflicts in the region are shown to have an impact on Arab scholars' engagement with research. To aid the advancement of theory of Arab media research, this essay advocates for conducting collaborative research and proposes a hybrid approach that merges epistemologies in a culture-sensitive, empirical manner that is capable of making universal generalizations while staying true to the specificities of the region itself.

Susanne Rudolph and Lloyd Rudolph believed that 'situated knowledge' could be realized through area studies, which they argued was consonant with epistemic pluralism and comparative generalization. Their writings reflect a critical relationship with their field as well as the American Political Science academia particularly in the way they envisaged area studies of 'a different kind'. The Rudolphs proposed that the Indian state and political process could be comprehended through analytical categories 'adapted' to capture its particularity. They found 'a persistent centrism' to be the most striking feature of Indian politics with the Indian National Congress crucial to the arrival at 'centrism'. In their later writings, the Rudolphs addressed the contests that emerged in the domain of the state, particularly in the context of the diminished 'interventionist state', grappling with contests over political power, the institutional matrix of the state and constitutional design.