7/7/21

Intercultural Communication

Carmen Tamas タマシ カルメン

Intercultural Communication Topics

• Culture and the various types of cultural differences

• Identity
• Globalization & world Englishes
• Being an ethical intercultural communicator
• “Race” & “Black Lives Matter”
• Human and civil rights
• Discrimination
• Othering & essentialism

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Microaggressions

Microaggression= a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or

unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized
group. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

“An Asian-American student is complimented by a professor for speaking perfect

English, but it's actually his first language. A black man notices that a white woman
flinches and clutches her bag as she sees him in the elevator she's about to enter,
and is painfully reminded of racial stereotypes. A woman speaks up in an important
meeting, but she can barely get a word in without being interrupted by her male
colleagues.”

Jenée Desmond-Harris (https://www.vox.com/2015/2/16/8031073/what-are-

microaggressions)

Social categorization and Othering

• Social categorization= the way we group people into conceptual categories in order
to make sense of our increasingly complex social environment.
• We typically place people into different groups and categories based on our current
understandings, perceptions and experience (Allport 1954; Landis 2018).
• We make inferences about individual behavior in relation to group patterns →
• essentialism
• “an assumption that any entity (a group of people, geographic place, observable
behavior, or physical object) has a set of attributes that is essential to its form and
function” (Strauss 2018)
• This reductionist ideology assumes that “groups can be clearly delimited” and “group
members are more or less alike” (Bucholtz 2003)

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Essentialism refers to situations in which ”social groups are assumed to share universal
and homogenous characteristics without consideration for variation across cultures,
within groups, or over time” (Sorrells 2015)→ harmful to intercultural relations:

“the cognitive activities of categorization and generalization that occur normally in the
human brain are an important way of making sense of the world around us. Although
such categorizations are useful as sense-making strategies for human behavior, if
unchecked, they can lead to more extreme understandings of cultural difference, such as
ethnocentrism, stereotyping, and prejudice– the roots of racism.” (Prue Holmes 2012)

Othering or Otherization

• A form of social representation which involves “the objectification of another person or

group” (Abdallah-Pretceille 2003).
• Through this process, arbitrary, abstract characteristics are ascribed to Others by those
”who have the power to control the subject/Other” (Chawla 2018)
• Instead of seeing people who have a different cultural and linguistic background as
complex individuals like themselves, an ethnocentric person sees them as simply
representatives of a particular culture and tied to a rigid set of characteristics and
behaviors.
• Ingroup members= people with whom you feel connected to or owe a sense of loyalty
and allegiance (family members, friends, members of the community)
• Outgroup members= those with whom one feels emotionally and psychologically
detached (strangers, unfamiliar others, members who belong to a competitive or
opposing group).

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The characteristics of an ethical intercultural communicator (Chen & Starosta

1998)
1. Regards people as equal, even when their beliefs of value differ
2. Actively seeks out and interacts with persons of diverse backgrounds (ethnic,
religious, gender, linguistic, physically disabled)
3. Listens attentively and refrains from making snap, negative judgments about the
behaviors of people who have a different cultural or linguistic background
4. Patiently asks questions to confirm the intended meaning
5. Recognizes that misunderstandings may arise due to linguistic and/ or cultural
differences
6. Seeks and provides (verbal and nonverbal) feedback to ensure that messages were
received as intended
7. Makes a genuine effort to learn about the language and cultural practices of
people who have been socialized in a different cultural context

The characteristics of an ethical intercultural communicator (Chen & Starosta

1998)

8. Works from the perspective that the behavior of people who have a different
cultural background is apt to be rational when understood in its situational and
cultural context

9. Values intercultural cooperation and peaceful conflict mediation/ resolution

10. Recognizes diversity within cultural groups and acknowledges that no individual
can serve as representative of an entire community or culture

11. Seeks to include all voices in intercultural communication

12. Treats all people with respect and dignity, irrespective of their linguistic and
cultural background.

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VALUES
What is right or wrong, good or bad, acceptable or taboo? What shapes a cultures values and
how do members learn these? The core values of a culture are usually reinforced and
rewarded if followed or punished if neglected. Values are first taught by parents, then schools
and finally society. Children learn by observing, young adults are instructed and imitate the
value and behavior of their peers. Adults model actions, ideas and attitudes in a way that will
give them acceptance, status and success.
In this way, values are the glue that binds a society together and culture is the system which
teaches and reinforces these shared ideals. Creating a common sense which protects the
members and allows society to develop and grow. There are essentially 3 levels of values;
universal, those of all humans, (food, shelter) cultural, members of a specific group, (customs,
rituals, manners) and some are personal, unique to the individual, (characteristics,
idiosyncrasies, faults and preferences).

Reimann, Andrew. Culture Studies Handbook: Exercises and Activities for Exploring, Expanding
and Exchanging Perspectives (p. 57). Intergraphica Press. Kindle Edition.

Questions
1. What are the core values of your culture?
2. How did you learn these?
3. What are some taboos in your culture? How are taboos punished?
4. How is positive behavior rewarded?
5. What is the purpose of proverbs?
6. How do proverbs reflect culture, society and worldview?

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Proverbs

1. When spiders unite, they can tie down a lion. Ethiopia

2. Trust in Allah but tie your camel. Old Muslim
3. Talk does not cook rice. Chinese
4. Necessity is the mother of invention. Irish
5. A guilty conscience is a hidden enemy. Indian
6. A clear conscience is a soft pillow. German
7. Love enters a man through his eyes, woman through her ears. Polish
8. Love makes the time pass. Time makes love pass. French
9. You have to kiss a lot of toads before you find a handsome prince. American
10. Only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet. African
11. The hand that gives is above the hand that takes. Turkish
12. He who begins many things finishes but few. Italian
13. It is better to conceal one's knowledge than to reveal one's ignorance. Spanish