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Lawrence R. Frey, Dennis S. Gouran, and Marshall Scott Poole (Eds.), THE HANDBOOK OF GROUP COMMUNICATION THEORY AND RESEARCH. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1999; pp. ix + 591, $99.95 hardcover, ISBN: 0761910271.
As Frey points out in the introduction of the volume, the purpose of the Handbook is not just to "remember" or review the past, but also to "re-member" the field (p. xi), moving toward new and innovative ways of researching or examining group interaction. The book includes 20 chapters, divided into six parts. The introduction is excellent; and thus highly recommended reading for advanced scholars and students alike. Two goals guided the creation of this book. The first was to synthesize over five decades of research, and the second was to forge future research agendas, focusing particularly on groups as they occur in "natural" and diversified settings. As Frey explains, "the 1990s showed increased attention to the refinement of theories generated in the previous decade, the formulation of new theories and theoretical perspectives," leading to "a new emphasis on the study of natural groups, and diversification in the types of issues and concepts addressed" (p. xi). The Handbook delivers a solid review and synthesis of extant research on group communication. Before even discussing the various parts of the text, it should be noted that even, chapter contains extensive references, which are highly useful to all scholars of group communication and those in related areas. Undoubtedly, the Handbook will serve as an important reference for more established as well as future scholars.
This volume is designed not only to review, but also to frame the past in useful, yet innovate, ways. For example, Gouran's chapter, the first of the volume, provides a "genealogy" of group communication research. Although the material is presented in a systematic and chronological way, the reading is not laborious. Likewise, other...