What is intercultural communication? How does perspective shape a person’s definition of the key tenets of the term and the field? These are the core questions explored by this accessible global introduction to intercultural communication. Each chapter explores the topic from a different geographic, religious, theoretical, and/or methodological perspective, with an emphasis on non-Western approaches, including Buddhist, South American, Muslim, and Chinese perspectives. Featuring the voices of a range of international contributors, this new textbook presents the full breadth of diverse approaches to intercultural communication and showcases the economic, political, and cultural/societal needs for and benefits of communicative competence.
International Perspectives on Intercultural Education offers a comprehensive analysis of intercultural education activity as it is practiced in the countries of Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, England, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Chapters by key scholars and practitioners from these nations inform the reader of current educational practice related to diversity. Each author, responding to a common series of guiding questions, presents: *a brief description of the national educational system in her or his country; *descriptive data on demographics in these countries, including data on various subgroups and subcultures and their experiences with the mainstream educational system; * a discussion of the perceived obstacles to addressing intercultural issues in schools and solutions to overcoming these obstacles; and *a comprehensive analysis of intercultural information on how teacher preparation institutions address intercultural education at the present time. An overall concern of each chapter author is how intercultural approaches can be employed to solve the difficulties faced by both individuals and schools while maintaining the cultural integrity of the child.
Today‘s world is more interconnected and interdependent than ever before. Within the context of globalisation and the associated increased contact between diverse groups of people, the psychology of culture is more relevant than ever. Asia-Pacific Perspectives on Intercultural Psychology brings together leading researchers from 11 countries to show
The intercultural occurs in the space between two or more distinct cultures that encounter each other, an area where meanings are translated and difference is negotiated. In this volume, scholars from diverse disciplines reflect on the phenomenon of interculturality and on the theoretical and methodological frameworks of interpreting it
Researchers are beginning to draw attention to the human side concerning the implications of the digital age. Cultural challenges faced by international virtual teams, management dilemmas relative to resource issues when dealing with cultural diversity, and human resource management challenges confronted by technical environments and nationally-qualified labor shortages are on the rise and need to be addressed as society enters a new era. Examining Cultural Perspectives in a Globalized World is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the promotion of new cultural models representative of the contemporary world and subject to digital transformation. While highlighting topics such as digital diversity, shared culture, and employee motivation, this publication explores increasing the relevancy of culture in the globalized 21st century as well as the methods of revising current HR management policies. This book is ideally designed for managers, human resources management, executives, sociologists, consultants, practitioners, industry professionals, researchers, academicians, and students.
A fully revised edition of the seminal classic This classic study was originally written by Edward Stewart in 1972 and has become a seminal work in the field of intercultural relations. In this edition, Stewart and Milton J. Bennett have greatly expanded the analysis of American cultural patterns by introducing new cross-cultural comparisons and drawing on recent reseach on value systems, perception psychology, cultural anthropology, and intercultural communication. Beginning with a discussion of the issues relative to contact between people of different cultures, the authors examine the nature of cultural assumptions and values as a framework for cross-cultural analysis. They then analyze the human perceptual process, consider the influence of language on culture, and discuss nonverbal behavior. Central to the book is an analysis of American culture constructed along four dimentions: form of activity, form of social relations, perceptions of the world, and perception of the self. American cultural traits are isolated out, analyzed, and compared with parallel characteristics of other cultures. Finally, the cultural dimentions of communication and their implications for cross-cultural interaction are examined.
Many language teachers recognise the importance of integrating intercultural learning into language learning, but how this can be best achieved is not always apparent. This is particularly the case in foreign language learning contexts where teachers are working with a prescribed textbook and opportunities to use the language outside the classroom are limited. This book argues that teachers can work creatively with conventional resources and utilise classroom experiences in order to help learners interpret aspects of communication in insightful ways and develop awareness of the influence of cultural assumptions and values on language use. The book provides extensive analysis of a range of classroom interactions to demonstrate how teachers and learners can work together to construct opportunities for intercultural learning through reflection on pragmatics.
In Perspectives on Intercultural Psychotherapy, Okeke Azu-Okeke explores cultural identity by drawing on his own experience as the first and only Black trainee in an Institute for Group Analysis in London and the impact this has had on his work as a lecturer and supervisor, as well as research from his group analysis sessions over many years to contribute a deeper awareness of the serious aspects of colonialism. Drawing from the perspective of an Igbo man of the older generation who grew up in two conflicting cultures, the traditional Igbo culture of Nigeria and that of the British colonialists, Okeke provides a thorough study of how cultural identity can influence research and practice in whatever form it takes: the academic, the theoretical, the economic and the psychological. The book discusses how ignoring deeply held social and spiritual values can alienate many trainees and potential clients from participating in the professions of psychotherapy and counselling. It also reflects on the author’s research into traditional Igbo methods of healing and compares these with Western models, especially of group analysis, and discusses how mutual learning can be achieved. This book will be of great interest to counsellors and psychotherapists; arts therapists; sociologists and anthropologists; policy makers engaged in health and social care policies; practitioners of alternative medicine; social workers and mental health workers at all levels.
Intercultural Perspectives on Family Counseling expands cultural awareness in the practice of family counseling by offering cultural-specific perspectives for addressing common issues that emerge in dyadic, marital, and family relationships around the globe. The topics illuminated in the book serve to sharpen cultural mindfulness and expand the reader’s knowledge and understanding of intercultural family counseling issues. Each chapter examines a couple or family-related clinical issue, offering clinical intervention strategies within the context of a specific cultural population. By representing various national and cultural identities, this book showcases a transcultural understanding of family. Students and practicing marriage and family counselors and therapists will benefit greatly from this clinical resource that exposes them to the similarities and differences in addressing client issues across cultures.
Transcultural Realities is an important collection of essays written by an outstanding cast of critical scholars who discuss the importance of transculture in interdisciplinary contexts. The primary goal of the contributors is to help the reader to understand that a state of "community" or "harmony" cannot be achieved in the world until we are all ready to accept different cultural forms, norms, and orientations. In this book, transculture is defined as a form of culture created not from within separate spheres, but in the holistic forms of diverse cultures. It is based on the principle that a single culture, in and of itself, is incomplete and requires interaction and dialogue with other cultures. Transcultural Realities is divided into five parts: Transcultural issues in international and cross-cultural contexts Historical and religious struggles within and between nations Socially constructed racial identities and their consequences for transculturalism in the United States The transformative effects of sojourning in diverse cultural environments The fundamentals of transcultural research Editors Virginia H. Milhouse, Molefi Kete Asante, and Peter O. Nwosu set out to meet three specific needs. First, that the book′s interdisciplinary approach to theory and practice in cross-cultural relations will make it an important book for several fields of study, including intercultural and interpersonal communication, international relations, human relations, psychology, anthropology, philosophy, and sociology. Second, that the book will be a reference tool for scholars of transcultural researcch, providing up-to-date information on cross-cultural relations that are transcultural in nature. And finally, through the use of research is critical to a fuller understanding of cross-cultural relations in a transcultural world.
