數十年來，台灣的傳播研究深受美國主流典範的影響。這個典範 偏重效果及微觀的分析而忽略結構及鉅觀的部份，因此無法充分解釋 台灣社會變遷中的傳播現象。在此「非常時期」（the period of anomaly )-也就是舊典範面臨危機而新典範尚未成型之際-本 文指出，面對傳播環境中的變遷與挑戰，傳播史研究是不可或缺的領 域，因爲史學研究中鉅觀及動態的分析，有助於觀照傳播體制的過去 、現在與未來，以及建構根植於本土的理論架構。接著，本文討論未 來進行傳播史研究時可能採用的幾種途徑——歷史主義的、客觀的 與解釋的——，並分析它們的優點與限制。本文的目的在於拋磚引 玉，期盼有更多的人共同來耕輕這片重要而尚待努力開發的領域。

Taiwan’s communication research has long been influenced by the dominant research paradigm in the US. This paradigm, focusing on micro-level analysis and ignoring the macro and structural analysis, can not fully answer the communication problems in Taiwan's social transition. At the present "period of anomaly" i. e. the period when the old paradigm is in crisis but a new one has not yet come, this paper suggests that historical studies would be indispensable in meeting changes and challenges in the communication system. The reason is that a holistic and historical analysis can shed light on the historical trend for the particular context. The paper further discusses the main historical approaches — the historicist, objective and interpretative ones — and their implications for future research. The discussion here aims to inspire and to invite people to come to this important but largely unexplored field in communication studies.