Intercultural Communication: An Ecological Approach

""What is the promise of intercultural communication in a post-September 11 world-one that seems to be increasingly threatened by religious differences?"" ""Can intercultural communication ultimately bring peace and prosperity among different people...or are aggression and conflict inevitable?"" In Intercultural Communication: An Ecological Approach, the authors respond to these questions as well as concerns that changing population and religious trends threaten the stability and prosperity of the United States. The authors believe that communication is always laden with possibility, including the possibility of harmony among different peoples. Intercultural Communication addresses, openly and honestly, the issues, perceived or real, that arise when communicating with people from different backgrounds-their traditions, predispositions, and persuasions. Features: Introduces a new intercultural communication framework that moves beyond the limits of multiculturalism. Develops the thesis that intercultural problems are fundamentally communication problems rather than problems of differences. Debunks the popular claim that language diversity impedes communication and thereby poses a threat to social cohesion. Introduces a definition of communication that defines communication as a mode of being and becoming rather than merely a means of relaying messages or sharing meanings. Redefines diversity in terms of processes, relationships, and environs rather than merely in terms of differences. Develops the claim that our emerging global, multicultural, and plural world is presenting us with new challenges and resources that can allow us to enter a new realm of being human that reflects a larger and richer understanding of the human condition. Integrates contemporary case studies from the United States, as well as from around the world, into nearly every discussion.