Higher Seminar in Statecraft and Strategic Communication | Carl Ritter
The Applied History of Strategic Communication
Abstract: This seminar presents two special issues of the Journal of Applied History about strategic communication, edited by Carl Ritter. The first issue (Fall 2025) includes three research articles and Ritter’s introduction; the second issue (Spring 2026) contains four additional research articles.
The ICT revolution has created new opportunities for information warfare, while history frequently is instrumentalized for propaganda purposes. The special issue asks what lessons history holds for these and similar challenges. Outlining the history of strategic communication from the ancient world to the present, the special issue shows that while it may be more important in today’s hyperconnected world than earlier, strategic communication has long been essential to politics and statecraft. This is ultimately explained by the centrality of communication to the human species, even if technological and cultural factors mean that strategic communication also displays significant dissimilarities between historical contexts.