"Many of the essays in this volume seek to interpret traditional Asian approaches to communication in the light of modern Western concepts. At one level, this might appear to compromise the integrity of the Asian approaches. However, it needs to be stressed that this is a calculated strategy on the part of the authors. The objective of the rediscovery of this terrain of Asian approaches to communication is to revitalize and expand the field of communication by drawing on these rich resources. In order to do this, one must first gain legitimacy for these approaches in the eyes of Western and Western-trained Asian communication scholars. It is for this reason that many of the authors in this volume have thought it fit to explicate Asian approaches in relation to Western concepts. This book, which addresses itself to the task of rediscovering a terrain for communication theory, consists of 13 essays. The opening essay argues for the compelling need to study Asian approaches to communication. It does this by pointing out how Asian approaches to the study of communication can supplement, enrich, and challenge Western approaches. It points out that the Asian approaches should no longer be ignored as they can prove to be extremely productive in widening the discourse of communication metatheory." (Introduction, p.xii) "The bulk of the papers collected in this book were originally presented at one of two conferences dealing with communication theories from the East. One was organized by the Asian Mass Communication Research and Information Centre in Singapore; the other, by the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii." (Acknowledgement, p.v)