Intercultural Communication for Everyday Life (eBook)

John R. Baldwin, is Professor of Communication and Culture at Illinois State University, USA, where he teaches on culture, diversity, and communication. He has published extensively on these and related subjects over a career spanning more than a quarter century. Alberto González, is Distinguished University Professor in the School of Media and Communication, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA. His research is situated at the intersection of criticial intercultural communication and rhetorical criticism. Nettie Brock, is Assistant Professor of Convergent Media at Morehead State University, USA. Her research and teaching concern popular culture texts and their connections to the societies that produce and receive them. Ming Xie, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice at West Texas A&M University. Her research focuses on intercultural communication, female leadership in nonprofit organizations, and emergency management. Chin-Chung Chao, is Professor of Communication at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, USA. She is a past President of the Association for Chinese Communication Studies and a past Chair of the Asian/Pacific American Communication Studies Division, and has researched and published extensively on communication, conflict management, and related subjects.

Preface xi

Acknowledgements xv

About the Companion Website xvi

Walk through xvii

Part one Foundations 1

1 Intercultural communication for uncertain times

Why should we know about other cultures? 3

2 Action, ethics, and research

How can I make a difference? 25

3 Origins

How can I talk about culture? 47

Part two Elements 69

4 Subjective culture

What is the base upon which cultural communication is built? 71

5 Identity--Struggle, resistance, and solidarity

How can I think about my identity and that of others? 91

6 Intolerance-acceptance-appreciation-equity-inclusion

How can we make the world a more tolerant and inclusive place? 108

Part three Messages 133

7 Verbal communication

How can I reduce cultural misunderstandings in my verbal communication? 135

8 Nonverbal communication

Can I make nonverbal blunders and not even know it? 156

9 Rhetoric and culture

How does my culture relate to persuasive writing and speaking? 177

10 Media and intercultural communication

How do media shape our views of others? 200

11 Information and communication technologies

How do social media impact culture? 220

Part four Contexts 243

12 Adaptation and intercultural competence

How can I be effective in a new culture? 245

13 Relationships and conflict

How can I have better cross-cultural relationships? 267

14 The political context

How can we use communication to shape politics and culture? 287

15 Intercultural communication in organizations

How does culture shape business and how is business culture changing? 304

Conclusion 328

Glossary 330

Index 343