This book is intended to be a companion volume to The Intercultural Toolkit textbook, but, obviously can be of help to anyone studying intercultural communication even if that book is not in play. The stories here should give the reader some idea of the wide range of misunderstandings and challenges that can come from different expectations that arise when cultures mis-align.
But there is hope! Read on.
The degree of detail in these scores of stories differs, as is explained in chapter 1. But in the latter part of the book there are often hints of how the problems were mitigated. The word "reframe" appears often, as does te idea of changing the structure or formality of a situation and making explicit the source of the friction. This is all good, but the reality is, as students of communication know, better communication does not solve all problems, and that first impressions can be difficult or impossible to change. This brief volume does not go into depth on the variety of communication model or principles, such as the irreversibility of communication or that it is impossible to not communicate. Even silence communicates something, intended, accurate, or not.
A deeper understanding of these ideas can be found in a free download of the textbook at www.interculturaltoolkit.com.
If you are in one of my classes, you will receive specific instructions in assignments tailored to explore a particular culture, theory, or attempted means of resolution. So, when you see the word "reframe" or any other reference to a solution noted in these pages, that's where your job really begins. How would you reframe this situation. If you were the cultural expert or conflict resolution counselor, what would you do, specifically. As they say, the devil is in the details. Of course, there is no one right answer, and even if you are working to think for yourself and not just type a prompt into generative AI, your answer may well be similar to the person sitting next to you.
But perhaps not.
I think you should value your ideas and efforts, even if they seem small and, at times, take you down a dead-end. This is the value of learning and being able to think for yourself. If this book has any hidden biases, it is that it is a wonderful think to confront a culture that puzzles you and makes you stop and think. And I can tell you from personal experience, some of life's most interesting moments abroad happen in places with no WiFi. You may not be able to pull out that little wonder-box of a cell phone and get an answer.
Despair not!
There are some fundamentals that you can learn that will serve you well in any situation. Another bias I have is that the theories laid out briefly in Chapter 2 will serve you well. Look at them. Mull over the stories. And when you can, get out of your comfort zone, travel, and go toe-to-toe (in a good way) with people different from you. In the end, you'll be glad that you did.
Finally, the last chapter of this book points beyond the real-world lessons to be found in the social social sciences to "made up" stories in the arts to be found in movies, plays, novels, and the visual arts, music, and even food.
Yes, even food can teach us about culture!
But the focus is on stories, and I encourage you to keep a journal and record your thoughts and impressions. Save them. Review them. Even if they turn out to be mistaken you'll benefit. After all, you will remember what it was like to be an "innocent," and that's important for you to be a guide to others. It helps keep you humble and forgiving.
And that, I believe, may be the most important lesson of all.
Finally, to give credit where credit is due. I want to thank the many academics and social science researchers who have gone before me. My own teachers in both communication and the general areas of journalism and the general social sciences. I am particularly indebted to my the first person to encourage m to think for myself and ask questions, my 7th grade science teacher, Mr. Gerald Paul, of Standard Jr. High. At North High school, it was again my sophomore English teacher Andice Ord, who made me feel that it was OK to love fiction and that stories were sometimes even more helpful that hard, bare, statistical facts. In college, Dr. Mary Copelin, of Bakersfield College, taught me about how well-crafted and courageous speech can advocate, stand up, and speak truth to power. It was she that made me decide to become a communications major. I also owe my undergraduate advisor and communication arts teacher, Dr. Stephen Weiss, of California State College, Bakersfield, a great deal. I am especially grateful that he encouraged me to continue my studies in debate. Debate is not just trying to win at all costs, it is an ethical pursuit that entails making yourself understood and listening deeply to the "other side."
In graduate school, Dr. William Freeman of Cal State Northridge indulged me in letting me pursue Walter Fisher's Narrative Paradigm as a way of understanding how we understand our lives and explain ourselves to others, even the world, through stories. He let me choose a master's thesis that examined competitng stories between the Navaho and Hopi tribes over contested lands. Then, almost 40 years later, I pursued a second master's degree in recreation to better understand how people use their precious discretionary time. My thesis team at California State University, Chico, consisted of Dr. Michael Leitner, Dr. Laura McGloughlin, and the irrepressible Dr. Emilyn Sheffield. I was able to study topics ranging from the environmental and cultural impact of travel and tourism to how to effectively gather storytellers and authors at events.
So, as the musicians say, it has been a long, weird ride. Today, I find myself still writing, telling stories, but also experimenting with AI tools to help speed up my research. This book, for example, was compiled with the assistance of AI and all of the images were generated with AI, other than my mugshot on this page. Perhaps that should have been too....
Finally, I want to thank friends and family who have encouraged and supported me. My mother was determined that I should go to college and not into the family's lucrative trucking business. I owe her, of course since teaching is not a way to get rich, I also owe a lot of credit card companies these days, too.
And Karin, my wife and best friend of more than 40 years, suffered with me through not one but two career changes, first from law to journalism, and then from reporting to education. She had to work as the primary breadwinner for years during these challenging shifts. I'm ever so grateful.
Also I would be remiss not to note my wonderful peers at Bakersfield College, Modesto Junior College, and my career-long friends at Shasta College. Too many to name, but especially the late Richard Saunders, who first handed me an intercultural textbook by his mentor, Larry Samovar. That was more than 35 years ago, and it opened up a whole new world to me. Richard was fun but methodical and thorough. He was always looking for the best way to teach a particular topic. He was the "teacher's teacher," and I miss him.
Lastly, yes we're getting there, I want to thank my many students I've had from the 1980s to date. You have made this a shared adventure. I value your insights and life experiences. Even when I teach a different subject, such as public speaking, I believe that we all have stories to tell and that we can gain a better appreciation of others by listening to their stories and having a deeper appreciation of what seems to separate us.
Now, let's hear some stories.
