Chapter 8: Intercultural Communication

the ugly americans

father-in-law, Palestinian boats prays before taking off

negotiating cultural tensions on borders

flexibility and adaptability

#2 Enhanced Business Effectiveness

studying intercultural communication= success in domestic and international business, lack of attention to cultural factors= costly disasters ex) Disney world went to France but broke social rules, did not take into the culture, need to do market research and have a partner to help with communication, restaurants

4. human nature relationship

the perceived relationship between humans and nature ex) we try to control it by building apartments on river road where flooding is supposed to happen.

1. Travel

voluntary short-term, voluntary long-term, involuntary short-term, involuntary long-term

3. human nature

whether humans are good, evil or a mixture good: rehabilitations, "innocent unlit proven guilty, have hope in people evil: punishment and incarceration, once a criminal always one

"doing mode"

work hard to achieve, keep going, don't stop, gogogogo

peacebuilding

working toward stability in a region to prevent conflicts for escalating into war

1. collectivism

a value orientation that stresses the needs of a group ex) family, parents everyone together

2. preferred personality

a value orientation that expressed whether it is more important for a person to "do" or to "be"

3. Relationships

"quiet revolution", attitudes have improved, open communications promotes growth, can be difficult with family, friend and society

influences of cultural values on communication

1. individualism and collectivism 2. preferred personality 3. human nature 4. human nature relationship 5. power distance 6. long-term vs. short-term orientation

5. power distance

a value orientation that refers to the extent to which less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a culture expect and accept an unequal distribution of power ex) call professor by first name or how you address them physically

1. individualism

a value orientation that respects the autonomy and independence of individuals ex) Americans, move out

#3 Improved Intergroup Relations

Middle East and US, foster interethnic relations-- call for peace building, but some people are not motivated to solve conflicts

6. short-term orientation

a value orientation that stresses the importance of possessing one fundamental truth, monotheistic

co-cultural groups

a significant minority group within a dominant majority that does not share dominate group values or communication patterns

culture shock

a feeling of disorientation and discomfort due to the lack of familiar environmental cues

#4 Enhanced Self-Awareness

be more aware of our own identities and communication patterns, based social and economic position, most of our dally interactions are intercultural in nature

2. Socialization

because of ones race, sexual orientation, or religion, can lead to exclusion, pressure to assimilate or cultural limbo

cultural values

beliefs that are so central to a cultural group that they are never questioned

intercultural communication

communication that occurs in interactions between people who are culturally different

6. privilege-disadvantage dialectic

cultural members can be simultaneously privileged while disadvantages

4. static- dynamic dialectic

cultural patterns can undergo dynamic change

2 challenges of border dwellers

culture shock and reverse culture shock/ reentry shock

reverse culture shock/ reentry shock

culture shock experienced by travelers upon returning to their home country

#1 Increased Opportunities for intercultural contact

diaspora, travel abroad programs, cultural diversity in US, simply the internet ex) restaurants,

3. differences- similarities dialectic

differences and commonalities between cultures can both be present

culture is

dynamic (changing), heterogeneous (diverse) and operates within societal power structure def: learned patterns of perceptions, values, and behaviors shared by a group of people

Ethics

everyone enmeshed in culture, be aware of humanity and avoid viewing them as the exotic "other", be open to their alternate view

"being mode"

importance of experiencing life, relationships, relax, live in the moment

improve

increase motivation, increase your knowledge of self and others, avoid stereotypes

Political and Historical Forces

integrated religious institutions and educational institutions provide best environment for improving attitudes

1. cultural- individual dialectic

some behaviors are determined by culture, others are idiosyncratic

5. history/past-present/ future dialectic

need to understand the past and be aware of current events

voluntary short term

people who are border dwellers by choice and for a limited time, such as study-abroad students or corporate personnel, 6 months, military

voluntary long term

people who are border dwellers by choice and for an extended time, such as immigrants

involuntary short term

people who are border dwellers not by choice and only for a limited time, such as refugees forced to move

involuntary long term

people who are border dwellers permanently but not by choice, such as those who relocate to escape war

"encapsulated" marginal people

people who feel disintegrated by having to shift cultures

border dwellers

people who live between cultures and often experience contradictory cultural patterns, 3 ways to become one: travel, socialization, participation in an intercultural relationship ex) gay and interracial marriage

constructive marginal people

people who thrive in a border-dweller life, cultural negotiating, but also recognize the tremendous challenges

dialectic approach

recognizes that things need not be perceived as "either/or", but may be seen as "both/and", based on simultaneous contradictory truths, challenges dichotomous thinking

6. long-term

the dimension of a society's value orientation that reflects its attitude toward virtue or truth, polytheistic

2. personal- contextual dialectic

the individual and the situation are simultaneously important

diaspora

the movement, migration or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral location, spread of people, slave trade

dichotomous thinking

thinking in which things are perceived as "either/or" ex) big or small, good or bad, right or wrong, 6 examples

Stalker's Guide of International Migration

track, explores global migration patterns of humans and why they move away from homelands