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10: Intercultural Communication

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    Learning Objectives

    After reading this chapter you should be able to:

    • Define intercultural communication
    • List and summarize the six dialectics of intercultural communication
    • Discuss how intercultural communication affects interpersonal relationships
    • Define intercultural communication competence
    • Explain how motivation, self- and other-knowledge, and tolerance for uncertainty relate to intercultural communication competence
    • Summarize the three ways to cultivate intercultural communication competence that are discussed
    • Apply the concept of “thinking under the influence” as a reflective skill for building intercultural communication competence

    It is through intercultural communication that we come to create, understand, and transform culture and identity. Intercultural communication is communication between people with differing cultural identities. One reason we should study intercultural communication is to foster greater self-awareness (Martin and Nakayama). Our thought process regarding culture is often other-focused, meaning that the culture of the other person or group is what stands out in our perception. However, the old adage “know thyself” is appropriate, as we become more aware of our own culture by better understanding other cultures and perspectives. Intercultural communication can allow us to step outside of our comfortable, usual frame of reference and see our culture through a different lens. Additionally, as we become more self-aware, we may also become more ethical communicators as we challenge our ethnocentrism, or our tendency to view our own culture as superior to other cultures.

    As was noted earlier, difference matters, and studying intercultural communication can help us better negotiate our changing world. Changing economies and technologies intersect with culture in meaningful ways (Martin and Nakayama). Technology has created for some a global village where vast distances are now much shorter due to new technology that makes travel and communication more accessible and convenient (McLuhan). However, there is also a digital divide, which refers to the unequal access to technology and related skills that exist in much of the world. The digital divide was a term that initially referred to gaps in access to computers. The term expanded to include access to the internet, since it exploded onto the technology scene and is now connected to virtually all computing (van Deursen and van Dijk). Approximately five billion people around the world now access the internet regularly, and those who don’t face several disadvantages.

    Query \(\PageIndex{1}\)

    People in most fields will be more successful if they are prepared to work in a globalized world. Obviously, the global market sets up the need to have intercultural competence for employees who travel between locations of a multinational corporation. Perhaps less obvious may be the need for teachers to work with students who do not speak English as their first language and for police officers, lawyers, managers, and medical personnel to be able to work with people who have various cultural identities.

    • 10.1: Defining Intercultural Communication
      This page explores intercultural communication through a dialectical approach, highlighting the dynamic interplay of six key dialectics: cultural-individual, personal-contextual, differences-similarities, static-dynamic, history/past-present/future, and privileges-disadvantages. These dialectics emphasize the importance of context, history, and intersectionality in understanding culture and communication.
    • 10.2: Intercultural Communication and Relationships
      This page discusses the dynamics of intercultural relationships, including friendships and romantic partnerships, highlighting both their benefits—like increased cultural knowledge—and challenges, such as navigating differences and societal discrimination, especially in LGBTQ+ contexts. Research shows that despite cultural disparities, partners in interracial relationships may share similar occupational backgrounds, leading to satisfaction comparable to intracultural couples.
    • 10.3: Intercultural Communication Competence
      This page emphasizes the importance of Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC), highlighting motivation, knowledge, and tolerance for uncertainty as essential components. It discusses cultivating ICC through experiential learning, reflective practices, and understanding cultural differences. Personal anecdotes illustrate the learning process, while skills such as empathy and conflict resolution are seen as vital.

    This page titled 10: Intercultural Communication is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Misc (LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.