A Festschrift in honor of Hanno Hardt saw 25 presenters join him in October 2003 for a re-examination of critical theory and research on culture and communication. As they considered current and future directions for critical communication studies, Hardt recognized the international generations assembled in Iowa City, Iowa (USA) as beneficiaries of social and political projects of the Left, projects that, though still marginalized in the academy, increasingly exhibit a more 'combative agenda of democratization' for communication studies and communication industries. This article describes the Festschrift through themes of (a) theory, culture and historicity in critical theory and cultural studies, (b) indigenization and interdisciplinarity, and (c) critical history as a practice and site.