As we continue to teach and write about intercultural communication, we arestruck by the continued need for information covering the practical aspectsof communicating across cultures. When we look back on international andintercultural situations at the time we began writing this book, we recognizehow rapidly the world has changed and the increasing need for interculturalcommunication scholars and practitioners. The current global economic down-turn, the volatile price of fuel, and the impact these changes have had on traveland business costs point to new international relationships. Changes such asthese are likely to influence the shape of intercultural communication. Naturaldisasters, such as the typhoon in Myanmar and earthquakes in China, and ongoingconflicts, like that in Darfur, have summoned a variety of positive responses,including tremendous caring and compassion across intercultural and interna-tional divides, but these tragedies also exacerbated enduring social groupinequities. Regional identities continue to challenge national identities, such asin Belgium, for example, which appears closer than ever to dissolution along thelines of linguistic identities. In addition, the increasing use of communication technologies, such as theInternet and burgeoning Social Networking Sites (SNS), and more mobile com-munication devices (e.g., cell phones) have made intercultural interactions thatmay once have seemed distant or peripheral to our lives far more immediate.These changes emphasize the increasing interconnectedness of nations in aglobal economy—showing that our lives and jobs depend more and more onintercultural communication skills.How can we use our intercultural skills to help enrich our lives and thelives of those around us? Can intercultural communication scholars promote abetter world for all? Are there general intercultural communication skills thatcan be used in a variety of cultural contexts? Is there culture-specific informa-tion that can help us become better intercultural communicators? Is there away to tap into information on the Internet to provide useful guidelines forintercultural communication? We wrote this book to address these questionsand issues.As in our earlier books, we have tried to use information from a variety ofapproaches, drawing from traditional social psychological approaches, as well asfrom ethnographic studies and more recent critical media studies. However, theemphasis in this book is on the practical, experiential nature of interculturalcommunication. We still acknowledge that there are no easy answers to manyintercultural situations. However, we attempt to give solid practical guidelineswhile noting the complexity of the task facing the student of interculturalcommunication.
Description:
As we continue to teach and write about intercultural communication, we arestruck by the continued need for information covering the practical aspectsof communicating across cultures. When we look back on international andintercultural situations at the time we began writing this book, we recognizehow rapidly the world has changed and the increasing need for interculturalcommunication scholars and practitioners. The current global economic down-turn, the volatile price of fuel, and the impact these changes have had on traveland business costs point to new international relationships. Changes such asthese are likely to influence the shape of intercultural communication. Naturaldisasters, such as the typhoon in Myanmar and earthquakes in China, and ongoingconflicts, like that in Darfur, have summoned a variety of positive responses,including tremendous caring and compassion across intercultural and interna-tional divides, but these tragedies also exacerbated enduring social groupinequities. Regional identities continue to challenge national identities, such asin Belgium, for example, which appears closer than ever to dissolution along thelines of linguistic identities. In addition, the increasing use of communication technologies, such as theInternet and burgeoning Social Networking Sites (SNS), and more mobile com-munication devices (e.g., cell phones) have made intercultural interactions thatmay once have seemed distant or peripheral to our lives far more immediate.These changes emphasize the increasing interconnectedness of nations in aglobal economy—showing that our lives and jobs depend more and more onintercultural communication skills.How can we use our intercultural skills to help enrich our lives and thelives of those around us? Can intercultural communication scholars promote abetter world for all? Are there general intercultural communication skills thatcan be used in a variety of cultural contexts? Is there culture-specific informa-tion that can help us become better intercultural communicators? Is there away to tap into information on the Internet to provide useful guidelines forintercultural communication? We wrote this book to address these questionsand issues.As in our earlier books, we have tried to use information from a variety ofapproaches, drawing from traditional social psychological approaches, as well asfrom ethnographic studies and more recent critical media studies. However, theemphasis in this book is on the practical, experiential nature of interculturalcommunication. We still acknowledge that there are no easy answers to manyintercultural situations. However, we attempt to give solid practical guidelineswhile noting the complexity of the task facing the student of interculturalcommunication.