Introducing Intercultural Communication – Global Cultures and Contexts
Chapter 1
Global village: a world in which communication technology (tv, radio, etc.) brings news and
information to the most remote parts of the world.
Advanced technology and transportation
Globalization: the process of increasing interconnectedness between societies, so that events in one
place of the world have more and deeper effects on people and societies far away.
1. Globalist perspective an inevitable development which can’t be resisted or significantly
influenced by human intervention, particularly through traditional political institutions, such
as nation-states.
2. Traditional perspective the significance of globalization as a new phase has been
exaggerated. It is believed that most economic and social activity is regional, rather than
global, and nation-states still have a significant role.
3. Transformationalist perspective globalization represents a significant shift, but it questions
the inevitability of its impacts. It is argued that there is still significant scope for national,
local, and other agencies.
Advanced communication technologies affects how we form relationships, as we have more
transportation possibilities and the internet has given us new ways of socializing (which especially
attract young people).
The idea of internet-based (romantic) relationships is gaining popularity as mobility of society
increases. It is inexpensive, convenient, quick to build/gain/remain support long-distance romantic
partners and similar to a conversation.
Not only do we come in contact with more people in cyberspace, but modern transport systems also
bring us in contact with more people physically. We can easily move for career, economic or lifestyle
opportunities due to e.g. planes.
On the other hand, since the fall of the Berlin Wall, there has been a strange increase in wall-building,
to separate people. In for instance construction of physical wall (US-Mexico Border fence e.g.), but
also in a rise of attempts at enclosure. While changes in technology have facilitated the exchange of
ideas, they also have magnified the possibility for misunderstandings.
Understanding other cultures is a challenge we face today, living in a global society.
Globalist: emphasize the possibility of transnational media systems and communication technology to
create a global public sphere.
Sceptic: stress the persistent national features of the news media, and the continuing stability of the
nation-state paradigm.
Global economy and business transactions
Global transformation: worldwide economic and technological changes that influence how people
relate to one another. =cross-cultural business transactions.
Cultural diversity brings many opportunities, particularly in the economic realm, and helps make our
society the cosmopolitan, dynamic and exciting place. The biggest challenge faced (economic and
social) is to unlock the barriers to the acceptance of cultural diversities in both scopes.
Companies expand into world markets as a part of globalization and to take advantages of lower
labour costs, leading to ethnic diversity in workplaces. Working in cross-cultural teams allows
organizations to make use of scarce resources and thus increase their competitive advantage.
The flow of migrant workers leads to an increase in ethnic competition.
,While acknowledging the benefits of an ethnically and culturally diverse workforce, it is also indicated
that there occur problems: conflicts in expectations, lack of communication competence, and attitude
problems such as mistrust.
Mass migration and international exchange
Migration increases cultural diversity in the composition of populations for receiving countries, and
contributes to social and economic development both in the countries of origin and in the countries
of destination. It is crucial to enhance the benefits of international migration, while reducing its
negative implications.
Education is what appeals to a lot of international students to immigrate to English-speaking areas.
Others, who move for a live, have reasons to immigrate such as access to a better living environment,
give children a good education, explore business opportunities, refuge of political protection.
Necessity and benefits of intercultural communication
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism: used to characterize a society with diverse cultures. It can refer to a society’s
tolerance towards diversity and acceptance of equal societal participation.
In attempting to maximize the benefits of cultural diversity, there has been an accompanying
awareness of some potential threats to our cultural uniqueness: new ethnic cultures may pose to
mainstream cultural values, the political and economic power structure, and the distribution of
employment opportunities. Some countries try to control diversity by tighter entry requirements.
Other countries develop policies concerning the rights of immigrants to preserve their home culture
with the host country.
The challenge that is faced today is how to promote intercultural understanding so as to reap the
benefits of cultural diversity and reduce intercultural tensions. The key to building the necessary
understanding between cultural groups is effective intercultural communication.
Building intercultural understanding
Understanding is the first step towards acceptance: it enriches each of us. We acquire many of our
cultural beliefs, values, and communcations norms at an unconscious level. Cultural socialization, in
addition, can encourage the development of ethnocentrism: seeing our own culture as the central
and best one, and seeing other cultures as insignificant or even inferior. This may lead to prejudice,
stereotypes, or discrimination. It is a barrier to effective intercultural communication because it
prevents us from understanding those who are culturally different from ourselves. In contrast to
ethnocentrism is cultural relativism: the degree to which an individual judges another culture by its
context. It is the act of evaluating behaviours of a culture using that culture’s assumptions about
reality.
Cultural differences do not prevent us from communicating; they enrich us through communication.
Culturally sensitive communication can increase relational closeness and deepen cultural self-
awareness. The more that culturally diverse people get to know each other, the more they can
appreciate the differences and perceive the deep commonalities among them.
Promoting international business exchange
Thee essential competencies in the global workspace are intercultural communication, problem-
solving skills and global leadership. People of different ethnic backgrounds bring their cultural
baggage to the workplace.
Communicating in unfamiliar cultures does not simply mean finding a translator. It is about
unarticulated meanings and the thinking behind the words. To understand the signifance of a
, message from someone, you need to understand that person’s perception and the most important
values in that person’s view of the world. A good understanding of cultural differences is a key factor
in promoting mutually productive and successful international business exchanges.
