Mediation is a very old practice that has been reborn to meet the needs of the contemporary world. It is thus increasingly present in today's societies. This book presents the theoretical foundations of mediation, as well as the way in which teachers and researchers in Information and Communication Sciences (ICS) have taken up this concept. Whether it is communicational, informational, cultural, organizational or societal, mediation belongs to a field of research, instituted by ICS, which sees in it a process of overcoming conflict, restoring communication and deconstructing social connections.

Mediation: A Concept for Information and Communication Sciences inaugurates this set through its contribution to a state of the art of the theory and concepts used by the ICS community. It is addressed to teachers, researchers and students, as well as information professionals wishing to think about their daily practice.

Jacqueline Deschamps is a former professor of the Information and Documentation Science (information documentaire) department at the Geneva School of Business Administration (HEG/University of Applied Sciences, Western Switzerland). She is currently continuing her research in ICS.

Preface ix

Introduction xiii

Part 1. Epistemological Foundations 1

Introduction to Part 1 3

Chapter 1. Exploring the Concept 5

1.1. A conceptual approach 6

1.2. The origins 8

1.3. Professional mediation 10

1.4. Mediation and peace 13

Chapter 2. The Constituent Elements of Mediation 17

2.1. The third party 17

2.1.1. From the word to the concept 18

2.1.2. Models and functions of the third party 19

2.1.3. The power and authority of a third party 22

2.1.4. The symbolic third party 24

2.2. Relation 26

2.2.1. A concept present in numerous fields 27

2.2.2. Relation as a process 28

2.2.3. Interactivity 32

2.2.4. The socioeconomics of relation 35

2.3. The subject 37

2.3.1. The subject in philosophy 37

2.3.2. The subject in psychoanalysis 41

2.3.3. The subject in mediation 43

Chapter 3. The Organization of Mediations 45

3.1. Mediation and institution 45

3.1.1. The spirit of institution 46

3.1.2. A historical approach to institutions 46

3.1.3. The human and the institutional spheres 49

3.1.4. Parliamentary mediation 50

3.2. Dispositive and mediation 52

3.2.1. Dispositives in mediation 52

3.2.2. The social dispositive 53

3.2.3. Technological dispositives 54

3.2.4. Legitimizing a dispositive 55

Chapter 4. Time and Mediation 57

4.1. The time of mediations 57

4.1.1. Synchronous and asynchronous mediations 59

4.1.2. Diachronic mediation 61

4.2. Timeless mediation 64

Part 2. Mobilizing the Concept of Mediation in Information and Communication Sciences 67

Introduction to Part 2 69

Chapter 5. Communicational Mediations 73

5.1. Transmitting and accessing knowledge 75

5.2. Scientific communication 78

5.3. Digital mediations 82

5.3.1. Information accessibility 82

5.3.2. The digital mediation of our heritage 85

5.3.3. The digital mediation of libraries 87

Chapter 6. Informational Mediations 89

6.1. Information professionals 89

6.2. Documentary mediation in academia 93

6.3. Competitive intelligence and mediation 95

6.4. Strategic foresight and mediation 97

Chapter 7. Cultural Mediations 101

7.1. Mediation and cultural institutions 102

7.2. Promoting our heritage 106

7.3. Artistic mediation 108

Chapter 8. Organizational Mediations 111

8.1. Organizational theories 112

8.2. Organizations and communication 116

8.3. Other perspectives in organizational communication 118

Chapter 9. Societal Mediations 121

9.1. Political mediation and the public space 122

9.2. Public communication and citizenship 127

9.3. Ecological mediation 128

Conclusion 133

References 139

Index of Cited Authors 153

Index of Terms 157