Intercultural comm. test #1
Hofstede Value Orientations
(1) Power distance (2) Masculinity/Femininity (3) Uncertainty avoidance (4) Long term/Short term
Interpretive approach assumptions
-Reality is external to humans, AND humans construct reality - -Human experience (communication) = subjective and human behavior is neither predetermined nor easily predicted - -Culture is created and maintained through communication
Culture
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
3 Approaches to Studying Intercultural Communication
(1) The Social Science (or Functionalist) Approach (2) The Interpretive Approach (3) The Critical Approach -Based on different fundamental assumptions about human nature, human behavior, and the nature of knowledge. - Vary in their assumptions about human behavior, their research goals, their conceptualization of culture and communication, and their preferred methodologies.
Identity as it relates to The Interpretive Perspective
(Dynamic) Emphasizes that identities are negotiated, co-created, reinforced, and challenged through communication with others; they emerge when messages are exchanged between persons (Hecht, Warren, Jung, & Krieger, Ting-Toomey as cited in Martin & Nakayama, 2022) - Avowal is the process by which individuals portray themselves, whereas ascription is the process by which others attribute identities to them. - Different identities are emphasized depending on the individuals one is communicating with and the topics of conversation. - Most successful communication - when the person one is talking with confirms the identity one thinks is most important at the moment - Central idea= People's identities are expressed communicatively—in core symbols, labels, and norms
diversity
(n.) difference, variety; a condition of having many different types of forms
Uncertainty Avoidance
- Concerns the degree to which people who feel threatened by ambiguous situations respond by avoiding them or trying to establish more structure to compensate for the uncertainty -Low uncertainty avoidance High uncertainty avoidance Dislike rules, accept dissent More extensive rules, limit dissent Less formality e.g., Great Britain, Sweden, Hong Kong More formality e.g., Greece, Portugal, Japan
Critical perspective:
- Emphasizes the importance of societal forces in the communication process; (all voices and symbols are not equal, but are arranged in a social hierarchy in which some individual characteristics are more highly valued than others)
Social science perspective:
- Emphasizes the various components of communication: There is a sender/receiver, message, channel, and context.
The Power of Other Histories
- Grand Narrative - Once dominated how people thought of the past, present, and future - Underlying assumption that developments in science, medicine, and education would lead to progress and better lives - Events challenged what people know and what has changed; the master narrative no longer seems as believable to many - — Ex. Communication scholar Melissa Steyn (2001) - Constructions of white identity in South Africa; apartheid -Now, in place of the grand narrative are revised and restored histories (that previously were suppressed, hidden, or erased) - Helps people rethink the dominant cultural identity
The Power of Texts
- History is extremely important in understanding identity; yet it is accessible to people only in textual, narrative form - Problem = People do not have equal access to the writing and production of these texts - Modernist identity
Age identity
- Notions of age and youth are all based on cultural conventions (social constructions)
sexual identity
- One's identification with various categories of sexuality - As people begin to communicate more openly about sexuality new and emerging sexual identities have been emerging
Power in Intercultural Interactions
- People are not equal in their intercultural encounters, nor can they ever be equal - Imperialism, colonialism, exploitation, wars, genocide....leave cultural groups out of balance when they communicate - Inequalities influence how they think about others and how they interact with them - Influences how people think about themselves—their identities
Long-Term / Short-Term Orientation
- Reflects a society's search for virtue or truth --Short-term orientation Long-term orientation Universal guidelines for good and evil Definition of good and evil depends on circumstances Prefer quick results e.g., Western Religions Judaism, Christianity, Islam Value perseverance and tenacity e.g., Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism
A set of cultural practices (often unnoticed and unnamed)
- Some views held consistently by whites are not necessarily shared by other groups - Cultural practices and core symbols (e.g., individualism) are expressed primarily by whites and significantly less by members of minority groups. - These cultural practices are most clearly visible to those who are not white, to those groups who are excluded -
What is culture?
-"Intercultural communication studies often focus on how cultural groups differ from one another" (Martin & Nakayama, 2022, p. 79). - Complex - "We are similar to and different from each other simultaneously" (Root as cited in Martin & Nakayama, 2022, p. 79). - -Culture - Learned patterns of behavior and attitudes shared by a group of people -How beliefs and Values define a culture
Identity as it relates to The Critical Perspective
-(Also dynamic nature of identities) - emphasizes the contextual and often conflictual elements of identity development - -An attempt to understand identity formation within the contexts of history, economics, politics, and discourse - Societal structures and institutions can constrain identities and are often the root of injustice and oppression (Collier as stated in Martin & Nakayama, 2022) + People: - Subject to being pigeonholed into identity categories, or contexts, even before they are born - Cannot ignore the ethnic, socioeconomic, or racial positions from which they start their identity journeys - Might resist the position/category put into, and might try to ascribe other identities to themselves; interpellation - -The social forces that give rise to particular identities are never stable but are always changing Ex. Label changes
Combining all 3 approaches: The Dialectical Approach: kind of a summary- using best parts of the 3
---The social science, interpretive, and critical approaches = interconnected and sometimes contradictory -Social science - people can see how specific communication and cultural differences might create differing worldviews, which can help them predict intercultural conflicts o -Interpretive - gives people an opportunity to confirm what they predicted in a hypothetical social science study o -Critical approach - might focus on the different access to economic, political, and material resources among the cultural groups-such as which cultural groups were or were not welcomed and how these power differentials influenced their intercultural experience
Family Histories, National Histories, and Cultural-Group Histories
--Family Histories - More personal level · - stories passed down from generation to generation --National Histories - The history of any nation is important to the people of that nation; learn in school (but seldom learn about histories of other nations and cultures in US) - Expected to be familiar with this particular telling of U.S. history so they can understand the many references used in communication --Cultural-Group Histories - Each cultural group within the nation may have its own history (could be hidden); (yet may share a single national history) - Helps people understand the identities of various groups - Ignorance of the histories of other groups makes intercultural communication more difficult and more susceptible to misunderstandings
Critical Definitions: Culture as Heterogeneous, Dynamic, and a Contested Zone
-A more recent approach to culture, emphasizes the heterogeneity of cultural groups and the often conflictual nature of cultural boundaries. -By only emphasizing shared aspects of culture, critical scholars suggest people gloss over the many interesting differences among U.S. Americans; cultural boundaries often contested and not easily agreed upon - -Viewing any culture as a contested zone/site of struggle: - Can better understand the struggles of various groups —Native Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, African Americans, Latinos/as, women, gays and lesbians, transgender individuals, working-class people, and so on —as they attempt to negotiate their relationships and promote their well-being within U.S. society - Opens up new ways of thinking about intercultural communication; the individuals in a given culture are not identical - Understand complexities of that culture; one can become more sensitive to how people in that culture live
The critical approach Assumptions
-Belief in subjective (as opposed to objective) and material reality - -Emphasis on context in which communication occurs; macrocontexts - such as the political and social structures that influence communication (biggest focus here); consider historical context - where is this happening-when is this happening- what is the political landscape/ social landscape - Identifying cultural differences in communication is important only in relation to power differentials
What is communication
-Communication is: + Complex; Meaning - communication occurs whenever someone attributes meaning to another person's words or actions + -" A symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired, and transformed" (Carey as cited in Martin & Nakayama, 2022, p. 87).
Histories as stories
-Cultural identity largely influenced by history · -Communication scholar Walter Fisher (1984, 1985), storytelling is fundamental to the human experience · - Histories = stories that people use to make sense of who they are and who they think others are · -Cultural attitudes may encourage people to forget history at times; thus, can come to wrong conclusions about others that perpetuate and reinforce stereotypes -Yet cannot escape history even if fail to recognize it or try to suppress it
Social Science Definitions: Culture as Learned, Group-Related Perceptions
-Culture = shared with people who live in and experience the same social environments; collective experience - Emphasis on the role of perception in cultural patterns (cultural patterns of thinking and meaning influence people's perceptual process, which, in turn, influence their behavior) · -Want to identify cultural differences in perception and behavior and then try to understand how these differences impact communication between individuals with varying backgrounds '
social science approach assumptions
-Describable external reality - Human behavior is predictable and that the researcher's goal is to describe and predict behavior -Culture is a variable that can be measured
Identity as it relates to the social science perspective
-Emphasizes that identity is created in part by the self and in part in relation to group membership (nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, class, gender, and so on) - -Self is composed of multiple identities, and these notions of identity are culture bound - -Cross-cultural psychologist Alan Roland (1988) identified three universal aspects of identity present in all individuals: o An individualized identity o A familial identity o A spiritual identity - -Groups play an important part in the development of all these dimensions of self - - -Communication scholar Ting-Toomey (1993, 2005) = identity negotiation theory: "Individuals define themselves in relation to groups they belong to due to the basic human need for security and inclusion. At the same time, humans also need differentiation from these same groups" (Martin & Nakayama, 2022, p. 163).
Interpretive perspective:
-Emphasizes the symbolic, processual nature of communication - The symbolic nature of communication = The words people speak or the gestures they make have no inherent meaning; the process by which people negotiate meaning is dynamic - Not a singular event but is ongoing. Relies on other communication events to make sense. ·
Limitations to the Interpretive approach
-Few interpretivist studies of intercultural communication - Interpretive scholars typically have not studied what happens when two groups come in contact with each other. - Researchers often are outsiders to the communities under investigation; may not represent accurately the communication patterns of members of that community
Limitations to the Social Science approach:
-Human communication is often more creative than predictable - -Reality is not just external but also internally constructed -People cannot identify all of the variables that affect their communication. § Can't predict why one intercultural interaction seems to succeed and another does not (Ting-Toomey, 2010) - -Some methods in this approach are not culturally sensitive - -Researchers may be too distant from the phenomena/people they are researching (Kim, 2012) - -Machine translation = helpful for common phrases and rough drafts, but these translations cannot yet do away with humans § -Translation equivalence = The linguistic sameness that is gained after translating and back-translating research materials several times using different translators § Conceptual equivalence = The similarity of linguistic terms and meanings across cultures
limitations of hofstede's cultural dimensions
-Identifying cultural values = Helps people understand broad cultural differences; however, not everyone in a given society holds the dominant value (Kirkman, Lone, & Gibson, 2006) · -Value frameworks = Tend to "essentialize" people (people tend to assume that a particular group characteristic is the essential characteristic of a given member at all times and in all contexts - avoid stereotypes) · -People may differ with respect to specific value orientations, and they also may hold other value orientations in common (Differences-Similarities Dialectic)
Antecedents of Contact
-Individuals bring their personal histories to each intercultural interaction - -They involve one's prior experience and attitudes -Richard Brislin (1981) identified 4 elements of personal histories that influence interaction: 1. People bring childhood experiences to interactions . 2. People may bring historical myths to interactions. 3. The languages that people speak influence their interactions. 4. People tend to be affected by recent, vivid events.
Critical approach uses
-Interviews, focus groups, and rhetorical methods in analyzing encounters between immigrants and host groups; textual analyses (analyze the cultural products such as media as powerful voices in shaping contemporary culture) - To understand human behavior but also to change the lives of everyday communicators - How power functions - resist power and oppression EX: Postcolonialism = intellectual, political, and cultural movement that calls for the independence of colonized states and liberation from colonialist ways of thinking; the study of how people might deal with that past and its aftermath, which may include the ongoing use of the colonial language, culture, and religion.
The environmental imperative
-Melting glaciers, rising tides -Floods and droughts lead to migration- as seas move- people have to move and become refugees -Wildfires- conflict between indigenous and whites -Water rights
Limitations to the Critical approach:
-Most critical studies do not focus on face-to-face intercultural interaction (relies on popular media - tv, music video, mag. ads) · -Does not allow for much empirical data (not based on experience)
Characteristics of Whiteness
-Normative race privilege -A standpoint from which to view society -A set of cultural practices
Identity development issues
-People can identify with a multitude of groups: gender, age, religion, nationality, and so on - An individual's identity develops and depends partly on the relative position or location of the identity within the societal hierarchy - Some identities have a higher position -These labels refer to the relative dominance or power of the identity position (not numerical quantity): More privileged identities = majority identities; less privileged = minority identities - -Identity development is a complex process; not everyone experiences these phases in exactly the same way
Interpretive approach uses
-Qualitative methods - field studies, observations, and participant observations - -To understand and describe human behavior (Predicting behavior is not a goal.) -A number of interpretive scholars have emphasized that descriptions of the communication rules of a given people must be grounded, or centered, in their beliefs and values (Asante & Miike, 2013; Miike, 2017). EX : Afrocentricity - African or African American communication > A common origin and experience of struggle > An orientation toward communalism
Social science approach uses
-Quantitative methods - gathering data by administering questionnaires or observing subjects firsthand -Theories to predict human behavior; textbook discusses various theories to review -Many social science studies explain how communication styles vary from culture to culture—often based on individualistic versus collectivistic values EX: Members of individualistic societies (US) are concerned with saving their own face and use more dominating conflict resolution styles; collectivistic societies (China, South Korea) = more concerned with saving other person's face and use more avoiding, obliging, or integrating conflict resolution styles
Indulgence / Restraint -
-Related to the subjective feelings of happiness --Indulgence Restraint Relatively free gratification of needs related to enjoying life and having fun -------------Suppression and regulation of needs related to enjoying life and having fun Freedom of speech over maintaining order e.g., Mexico, Nigeria, Sweden, Australia Maintaining order over freedom of speech e.g., Russia, Egypt, China, India
How Culture Influences Communication
-Researchers Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck emphasized centrality of cultural values in understanding cultural groups · Intercultural conflicts are often caused by differences in value orientations. · -Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck suggested that members of all cultural groups must answer the following important questions: o - What is human nature? o '' What is the relationship between humans and nature?
Communication as Resistance to the Dominant Cultural System
-Resistance = metaphor used in cultural studies to conceptualize the relationship between culture and communication ● Ex. Workers can find ways to resist the authority structure of management and extreme competition in many ways, some subtle (e.g., work slowdowns) and some more obvious (e.g., whistleblowing). ● Social media dramatically increased the efficiency of resistance. # (movements)
Majority Identity Development
-Stage 1: Unexamined identity - Aware of some physical/cultural differences, but do not fear the other or think much about their own identity -Stage 2: Acceptance - Internalization (conscious or unconscious/ passive or active acceptance) of a racist (or otherwise biased) ideology - Not aware of their worldview - -Individuals (with respect to interactions with minorities) may: avoid contact, adopt a patronizing stance toward them, or both Stage 3: Resistance - Moving from blaming minority members for their condition to naming and blaming their own dominant group as a source of problems Stage 4: Redefinition - --------------Redefining their identity in a way that recognizes their privilege and works to eliminate oppression and inequities Stage 5: Integration - Able to internalize their increased consciousness and integrate their majority identities into all other facets of their identity - Recognize their own group identity, but also appreciate other groups
7 imperatives / reasons for studying intercultural comm
-Technological Imperative - Demographic imperative - Economic Imperative - Peace Imperative - Self-awareness imperative - Ethical imperative
Intercultural Competence
-The ability to behave effectively and appropriately in interacting across cultures - Want to be able to be in the room with someone different than me and not do anything that will offend them
Power distance
-The extent to which less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept the unequal distribution of power. -Low power distance High power distance Less hierarchy better e.g., Denmark, Israel, New Zealand More hierarchy better e.g., Mexico, India
Dialectical approach emphasizes
-The processual nature of intercultural communication (cultures and individuals change) > -The relational aspect of intercultural communication study > -Involves holding contradictory ideas simultaneously
Masculinity/Femininity
-Two dimensional - It refers to (1) the degree to which gender-specific roles are valued and (2) the degree to which cultural groups value so-called masculine values (achievement, ambition, acquisition of material goods) or so-called feminine values (quality of life, service to others, nurturance, support for the unfortunate) -Femininity Masculinity Fewer gender-specific roles More gender-specific roles Value quality of life, support for unfortunate e.g., Denmark, Norway, Sweden Achievement, ambition, acquisition of material goods e.g., Japan, Austria, Mexico
How communication reinforces culture
-Various aspects of culture are enacted in speech communities in contexts · -Scholars seek to understand communication patterns that are situated socially and give voice to cultural identity. · Following communication rules · Culture as performative
Interpretive Definitions: Culture as Contextual Symbolic Patterns of Meaning, Involving Emotions
-Yes, culture = shared and learned, but focus on contextual patterns of communication behavior, not group-related perceptions · -Philipsen's (1992) definition, culture refers to "a socially constructed and historically transmitted pattern of symbols, meaning, premises, and rules" -Philipsen's approach through ethnography of communication (a common interpretive approach) - "Look for symbolic meaning of verbal and nonverbal activities in an attempt to understand patterns and rules of communication" (Martin & Nakayama, 2022, p. 83) · - Look for cultural patterns - deeply sensed and hold symbolic significance (Ex. Gathering around coffee machine in morning at work) · -Culture (experienced as perceptions, values, contextual) AND involves emotions; embodied ethnocentrism - -The stronger one's identification with a particular space/cultural situation, the more difficult it might be to change spaces without experiencing a lot of discomfort
6 dialectics of intercultural communication
1) Cultural-Individual dialectic 2) Personal-Contextual dialectic 3) Differences-Similarities dialectic 4) Static-Dynamic dialectic 5) History/Past-Present/Future dialectic 6) Privilege-Disadvantage dialectic
Yehudi Amir (1969) (psychologists, in addition to other studies) - outlined at least 8 conditions that must be met (more or less) to improve attitudes and facilitate intergroup communication
1. Group members should be of equal status, both within and outside the contact situation. 2. Strong normative and institutional support for the contact should be provided. 3. Contact between the groups should be voluntary. 4. The contact should have the potential to extend beyond the immediate situation and occur in a variety of contexts with a variety of individuals from all groups. 5. Programs should maximize cooperation within groups and minimize competition . 6. Programs should equalize numbers of group members. 7. Group members should have similar beliefs and values. ' 8. Programs should promote individuation of group members
Negotiating Histories Dialectically in Interaction
1. Recognize that people bring their own histories (some known, some hidden) to interactions. 2. Understand the role that histories play in one's identity and in what one brings to the interaction. -
A standpoint from which to view society
A standpoint from which white people look at themselves, others, and society - Opinion polls reveal significant differences in how whites and people of color view many issues
paradigm
A worldview underlying the theories and methodology of a particular scientific subject -See the world in particular ways because of the cultural groups (based on ethnicity, age, gender, and so on) to which they belong - Worldviews are so fundamental that people rarely question them
History of Intercultural Communication
From History to Histories (1 of 3) -Many different kinds of history influence an individual's understanding of who people are as individuals, family members, members of cultural groups, and as citizens of a nation - Many histories help form our different identities - These histories overlap and influence each other
cultural humility
An acknowledgement of one's own barriers to true intercultural understanding. -"a lifelong process of self-reflection and self-critique whereby the individual not only learns about another's culture, but one starts with an examination of her/his own beliefs and cultural identities
Ethnocentrism
Belief in the superiority of one's nation or ethnic group.
Identity
Bridge between culture and communication - People communicate their identity to others, and they learn who they are through communication (with family, friends, others) - Conflicts can arise when there are sharp differences between who people think they are and who others think they are - Impression Management - The ways we attempt to control the impressions others have of us - Communication perspectives on identity: social science perspective, interpretive perspective, critical perspective
Social and Cultural Identities
Gender, sexual, age, racial and ethnic, physical ability, religious, class, national, regional, personal
The relationship between culture and communication
Complex A dialectical perspective assumes culture and communication are interrelated and reciprocal Culture influences communication and vice versa
Gender identity
Cultural notions of masculinity/femininity; what it means to be a man or a woman - Can start before birth - Can be demonstrated by communication style - Cisgender; Transgender
Political, Intellectual, and Social Histories
Identify historical context is first step to understand how history affects communication Political histories - Intellectual histories -Social histories - -Absent history - Altered history
History/Past-Present/Future Dialectic
Dialectic that reminds us to acknowledge how the past informs our communication in the present, how the present influences our view of the past, and how the past and present will affect our future.
Strengths to the Critical approach
Emphasizes the power relations in intercultural interactions and the importance of social and historical contexts
normative race privilege
Historically, whites have been the normative (dominant) group in the United States; have benefited from privileges that go along with belonging to the dominant group - Not all whites have power, and not all have equal access to power - Identities are negotiated and challenged through communication.
The technological imperative
Implies the use of technology without cost considerations, especially when the benefits to be derived from the use of technology are small compared to the costs. Global village communication tech links people in even the most remote parts of the world - positive and negative impacts on intercultural communiacation IMPACTS: A) Information about people and cultures - instant online info B) Contact with people who are different t than oneself C) Contact with people who are similar to oneself and can provide communities of support Identity management: Internet can strengthen sense of identity -Disasporic groups- ethnic and or national groups that are geographically dispersed throughout the world -D) Differential access to communication tech- inequity of technology - a continuum of digital inequalities rather than a divide -Cultural capital : Certain bodies of cultural knowledge
personal-contextual dialectic
Involves the role of context in intercultural relationships and focuses simultaneously on the person and the context
National identity
Not same as racial/ethnic identity - Legal status in relation to a nation (national citizenship); some people stateless I.
Nonmainstream histories
People from nonmainstream cultural groups often struggle to retain their histories + The suppression of history reflects attempts to construct specific understandings of the past - Hidden histories - Ethnic histories - Racial histories - Gender histories - Sexual orientation histories -Ex. Abraham Lincoln
History, Power, and Intercultural Communication
Power: - dictates what is taught and available -Central dynamic in the writing of history - Dictates what is taught and what is silenced, what is available, and what is erased I.
Strengths to the Interpretive approach:
Provides an in-depth understanding of communication patterns in particular communities because it emphasizes investigating communication in context
Racial identity
Roots in the 15th and 16th centuries, when European explorers encountered people who looked different from themselves (physical) 18th and 19th centuries, the scientific community tried to establish a classification system of race based on genetics and cranial capacity (unsuccessful)
Class identity
Scholars have shown that class often plays an important role in shaping individuals' reactions to and interpretations of culture - People in the majority or normative class (the middle class) tend not to think about class; those in the working class are often reminded that their communication styles and lifestyle choices are not the norm - "American Dream" = With hard work and persistence, can improve class standing; now under serious scrutiny
3 perspectives on defining culture
Social Science Interpretive Critical
Perspectives overview
Social Science The relationship between culture and communication: Culture influences communication Learned and shared Patterns of perception Interpretive: Learned and shard Contextual: Symbolic meanings Culture influences communication Communication reinforces culture Critical Heterogeneous, dynamic Site of contested meanings Communication reshapes culture
Minority Identity Development
Stage 1: Unexamined identity - ---Lack of exploration of identity - ----May initially accept the values and attitudes of the majority culture Stage 2: Conformity - Internalization of the values and norms of the dominant group/ desire to assimilate - May have negative, self-deprecating attitudes toward self and their group Stage 3: Resistance and Separatism - -Often triggered by negative events - Growing awareness that not all dominant group values are beneficial to minorities - Blanket endorsement of one's group and all the values and attitudes - Rejection of the values and norms associated with the dominant group Stage 4: Integration - Ideal outcome of the identity development process - an achieved identity - Strong sense of their own group identity (based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and so on) and an appreciation of other cultural groups
contact hypothesis
The idea that stereotypes and prejudice toward a group will diminish as contact with the group increases. -Idea that better communication between groups of people is facilitated simply by bringing them together and allowing them to interact - -Many public policies and programs in the US and abroad are based on this hypothesis; history does not seem to support this notion ·
Ethnography of communication
The scientific description of the customs of individual peoples and cultures
Strengths to social science perspective
Useful in identifying variations in communication from group to group and specifying psychological and sociological variables in the communication process
Anglocentrism
Using Anglo or white cultural standards as the criteria for interpretations and judgments of behaviors and attitudes.
Why study intercultural communication?
We can learn more about ourselves and our own cultural backgrounds as well as other people's cultural background Ways to increase intercultural competence- friendships with individuals that are different than us ]- - -Technological Imperative - Demographic imperative - Economic Imperative - Peace Imperative - Self-awareness imperative - Ethical imperative
Privilege-Disadvantage dialectic
how an individual may be advantaged in one culture but disadvantaged in another
ethnic identity
a person's identification with a racial or ethnic group
religious identity
aspect of identity defined by one's spiritual beliefs
cultural-individual dialectic
captures the interplay between patterned behaviors learned from a cultural group and individual behaviors that may be variations on or counter to those of the larger culture.
Individualism
giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications
Collectivism
giving priority to the goals of one's group (often one's extended family or work group) and defining one's identity accordingly
ethical imperative
guides you in doing what is right versus what is wrong in various communication contexts -Ethics- moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity. -Relativity vs universality -Universalist: a person advocating loyalty to and concern for others without regard to national or other allegiances. -Relativist: Relativism is the belief that there's no absolute truth, only the truths that a particular individual or culture happen to believe. If you believe in relativism, then you think different people can have different views about what's moral and immoral. ... Cultural relativists might argue yes. -Cultural humility- "a lifelong process of self-reflection and self-critique whereby the individual not only learns about another's culture, but one starts with an examination of her/his own beliefs and cultural identities
The economic imperative
highlights issues of globalization and the challenges for increased cultural understanding needed to reach the global market -Globalization- e how trade and technology have made the world into a more connected and interdependent place. Globalization also captures in its scope the economic and social changes that have come about as a result. -many U.S companies provide little or no training before sending their workers overseas and expect to close business deals quickly -Multinational corporation - The multinational corporation is a business organization whose activities are located in more than two countries and is the organizational form that defines foreign direct investment. ... Capital can flow from one country to another in expectation of higher rates of return.
Demographic imperative
includes the changing domestic and international migration-raising questions of class and religious diversity --Demographic- Charicteristics of a population- race, ethnicity, age, sex, and income -The world is becoming increasingly diverse In the US, racial and ethnic minorities are now growing more rapidly in numbers than whites -Increasing diversity in U.S workforce as well ; more women in the workforce -Heterogeneous vs. homogeneous -Power of diversoity- can expand people's conceptions of what is possible- linguistically, politically, and socially - being a a part of a diverse population can make one more creative, more diligent In order to understand today, one has to know the past -the colonizing europeans and the native peoples -Anglocentrism- expected to assimilate into mainstream culture- to jump in the melting pot and come out american- they don't need to be socialized- like a salad- let individuals hold up their traditions and cultural practices while accepting them into the United States culture-
Intercultural comm. is interdisciplinary
integrating knowledge from different disciplines in conducting research and constructing theory; can help people acquire and interpret information in a more comprehensive manner
Self awareness imperative
involves increasing understanding of our own location in larger social, political, and historical contexts -Raises Awareness of one's own cultural identity and background -Sometimes intercultural encounters make people aware of their own Ethnocentrism -Ethnocentrism- A tendency to think that their own culture is superior to other cultures - Ie "White privilege" -Increased awareness of being caught up in politics, economic and historical systems- not of one's own making
The peace imperative
involves working through issues of colonialism, economic disparities, and racial, ethnic, and religious differences -Can individuals of different cultures and background coexist on the planet - See each other as equals? -Some conflicts tied to colonialism around the world, economic disparities, past foreign polices
differences-similarities dialectic
recognizes that individuals may have cultural differences but will also share similarities
Static-Dynamic Dialectic
suggests that culture and communication change over time yet often appear to be and are experienced as stable
The interpretive approach:
the linguistic work of assigning meaning or value to communicative texts; assumes that multiple meanings or truths are possible
avowal
the process by which individuals portray themselves,
Ascription
the process by which others attribute identities to an individual
