Intercultural Communication for Everyday Life

Preface xi
Acknowledgements xv
About the website xvi
Walk through xvii
Part one Foundations 1
1 A rationale for studying intercultural communication Why should we know about other cultures? 3
2 Action, ethics, and research
How can I make a difference? 24
3 Origins
Where does our "culture" come from? 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
How can we make the world a more tolerant place? 114
Part three Messages 135
7 Verbal communication
How can I reduce cultural misunderstandings in my verbal communication? 137
8 Nonverbal communication
Can I make nonverbal blunders and not even know it? 159
9 Rhetoric and culture
How does my culture relate to persuasive writing and speaking? 180
10 Culture, communication, and media
How do media shape our views of others? 203
Part four Contexts 225
11 Global media, global cultures
How do culture and globalization influence each other? 227
12 Adaptation and intercultural competence
How can I be effective in a new culture? 249
13 Relationships and conflict
How can I have better cross-cultural relationships? 269
14 The political context
How can we use communication to shape politics and culture? 290
15 Intercultural communication in international organizational contexts
How does culture shape business, and how is business culture changing? 306
Conclusion 329
Glossary 331
Index 343