Abstract
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The idea of listening offers a means of reframing contemporary media theory and the
project of cultural studies in such a way that the ‘other half’ of communication can enter
the picture on an equal footing. Many of the implications, both politically and
conceptually, of such a move were canvassed in a special issue of Continuumin 2009.This
paper engages with the themes of the special issue and elaborates on the implications
through a consideration of core issues from perspectives not covered in that issue. We
draw particularly on the traditions of hermeneutics, pragmatism and social constructionismto
refashion the idea of communicating so that intersubjectivity and praxis are brought
to the fore. This refashioning provides the basis for a critical consideration of what it can
mean to engage in dialogue. Ideas of dialogue driven by the presumption of shared
understanding are discarded in favour of a form of dialogic listening across difference.We
proceed to show how these ideas contribute to the heart of the Listening Project’s research
agenda: understanding and meeting the challenges of democratic dialogue.