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Preface

Why Study Intercultural Communication?

When a student asks, “What is this class about?” I have two answers. If it’s a short hallway conversation, I say something like “to learn to become a more effective communicator with peoples of diverse cultural backgrounds.” If we have time for a sit-down discussion, I start by talking about identities—the identities each of us accepts to be known by in the world. We then discuss what goes with those identities—everything from what we wear, to the language we speak, to the values we use to guide our behavior. It then becomes obvious that diverse identities can be at the root of many communication barriers. At this point, students see the broader challenges and raise the issues of immigration, treatment of women, clash of religions and terrorism, corporate influence over local cultures, and countries exerting unwelcome influence over other countries.

In order to live, work, and play in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, we all need to communicate effectively with people of diverse cultural backgrounds. We need to be aware of how our language and nonverbal communications might be understood by people whose frame of reference is different than ours. We also need to understand how the historical relationships between cultures inform how they interact today. The aim of this book is to equip students with the knowledge and skills to be competent and confident intercultural communicators. In each chapter, the book guides students through key concepts and helps readers connect intercultural competence to their own life experiences in order to increase understanding.

The core objectives of this book have not changed with the 10th edition: I continue to promote the skills of intercultural competence by developing an understanding of cultures to better appreciate the opportunities and challenges each culture presents to its people, developing a better understanding of how people become who they are, becoming less threatened by those of different backgrounds, and becoming better able to select and perform communication behaviors appropriate to various settings.

What I strive to do is to provide information that is balanced and up-to-date in a manner that is accessible and interesting. It has been my objective from the first edition of this book to make it readable, engaging, and thought provoking while at the same time flexible enough to support individual instructors’ approaches to the content theories.

After reading this book, students will become effective intercultural communicators by developing the following skills and knowledge:

 Expanding the range of verbal and nonverbal communication skills

 Becoming able to communicate effectively in unfamiliar settings

 Recognizing the influence our own culture has had on the way in which we view ourselves

 Expanding knowledge of different cultural traditions

It is my pleasure to have worked with thousands of students face-to-face and online through the years. I consider this book’s readers to be part of that group and have received many questions and comments from them via e-mail that have helped improve each edition. Thank you for reading this book and for participating in this learning community to appreciate and to become more effective in intercultural encounters.

New to the 10th Edition

The world has changed dramatically in the past few years: Attitudes toward immigration and refugees, attitudes toward gender identifications, awareness of social class identity, and awareness of religious identity are just a few of the changes our society has experienced in recent years. As in previous editions, these major regulators of human life are the core themes that run throughout the book.

The chapter content has been updated throughout to address current international developments and communication challenges, such as the relationship between DNA testing and cultural identity, negotiations between North and South Korea, the refugee experience in Europe, and the introduction of the idea of “glocalization.” Additionally, I have removed the dated terms subculture and subgroup and replaced them with community, added coverage of nonbinary gender identities, and rewritten the chapter on nation-state cultures (Chapter 6) to highlight the objections and alternatives to Hofstede. Chapters 2 and 3 were significantly reorganized to move intercultural communication competence and ethics earlier in the text and to have barriers to effective intercultural communication, perception, and an extended discussion of high- and low-context cultures follow.

Pedagogical Features

Many of the most successful features from previous editions—those that really enhance student engagement and learning—are still here, updated for the new edition. These include the following:

 Focus on Skills boxes that challenge students to apply the key concepts they have learned in each chapter to a “real-life” intercultural communication scenario

 Focus on Technology features that explore contemporary examples of intercultural communication on the Internet, social media, and mobile devices

 Focus on Theory boxes that call students’ attention to communication theories

 Focus on Culture features, which help students understand cultural practices within their own and other cultures

 Global Voices boxes that use brief, provocative quotes to introduce students to a range of perspectives on global intercultural communication

 Learning Objectives at the start of each chapter that identify what students should expect to know or be able to do after engaging with the chapter material

 Charts, graphics, and photos that convey information in a visually engaging way

 Maps that help readers better understand the geographical and cultural locales discussed

 Case studies of specific cultures that connect key concepts to real-world examples

 Discussion Questions that spark in-class conversation and encourage students to reflect critically on what they have learned in each chapter

 Glossary with Key Terms highlighted in each chapter

Author’s Note

The production of this edition was concluding as the COVID-19 situation was developing, hence the pandemic is not mentioned in this edition. The author recommends that faculty work with students to consider the impact of COVID-19 on nonverbal communication and on U.S. relations with China, both having been affected by the pandemic.