Intercultural
communication
Chantal Matel
IBC, Faculty of Arts
,Intercultural communication
Chapter 1 Challenges of living in a global community
Small world experiment (Milgram, 1967)
- How many steps (via other people) does it take to connect two random people in the world?
- Participants in various cities in the US were asked to send a letter to a person in Boston.
Only via people that they knew personally.
Result:
- On average, it took 5 to 6 steps (people) to get from the starting point to the end point.
- “Six degrees of separation” (network theory)
2012: Small world experiment 2.0
Facebook calculated the distance between two random FB users.
Result:
- “If you pick any two Facebook users, it’s been calculated there’s an average of 3.57 degrees
of separation between them.”
It seems that the world is getting smaller and smaller…
The world as a village
The “global village” McLuhan, 1962
Marshall McLuahn coined the term “global village” to describe a future world in which
communication technology brings news and information to the most remote parts of the world.
Toda:
- Information is ubiquitous (Mass media)
- Communication is 24/7
- Communication is potentially global
Why is it important to gain knowledge about intercultural communication?
- Every person can communicate with people around the globe but we are not all the same
Influence of own cultural perspective:
- Language
- Communication style (formal, informal, etc.)
- Value orientations → how people in different cultures are oriented
Globalization is..
- “The process of interconnectedness between societies, so that events in one place of the
world have more and deeper effects on people and societies far away.”
- “The widening, deepening and speeding up of worldwide interconnectedness in all aspects of
contemporary social life. This interconnectivity breaks down the boundary between East and
West.”
Globalization in business is..
- “The increase of trade around the world, especially by large companies producing or trading
goods in many different countries.”
- “The idea that the world is developing a single economy and culture as a result of improved
technology and communications and the influence of very large multinational companies.”
Do we live in a unified world?
KOF Index of globalization
- Economic globalization: trade & investment flows, import/export
, - Social globalization: personal contact, information flows, number of MacDonalds
restaurants, IKEA stores, etc.
- Political globalization: foreign embassies in a country, membership of international
organizations, participation in UN missions, involvement in international trade agreements.
Views of Globalization
Three perspectives
- Globalists: inevitable development, cannot be resisted or significantly influenced by humans
- Traditionalists: most economic and social activity is regional, rather than global, significant
role of nation-states
- Transformationalists: significant shift, but there is still significant scope for national, local
and other agencies.
Global cultural diversity
- Today about 5.000 distinct languages/cultures
- Representing at least 300 distinct phyla, i.e., distinct ethnolinguistic families like Indo-
European, Sinitic, Austronesian, etc.
, Contributors to cultural contact
- Advanced technology and transportation, and increased mobility
o Easier to travel & move for economic or lifestyle opportunities
o Easier to interact online via ever-changing apps & modalities
o Smaller, yet more diverse world
➔ Understanding other cultures is a challenge we face on an everyday basis
- Global economy and business transactions
o Global transformation: local markets as diverse as global market
o International expansion: MNCs operating globally, outsourcing to low-wage countries
o Diverse workforce: migrant workers, expats
➔ Understanding cultural tensions created by economic transformations is a
challenge we face in intercultural communication in a business context (e.g.
BREXIT, TTIP, EU, NATO)
- Mass migration and international exchange
(ca. 5% of global population is mobile):
o Immigration flows, form developing to developed countries
o Refugees form war-torn countries
o Migrant workers who move to a host country temporarily
o Student exchanges (Erasmus, etc.)
o Expats who temporarily relocate to work in another country
➔ Facilitating intercultural co-existence is a challenge we face in our society
Necessity and benefits of IC (1)
Multiculturalism
- Society made up of diverse cultures (multiculturalism at the descriptive level)
- Living and working together requires tolerance and mutual understanding
- ‘melting pot’ societies flourish when there is acceptance of equal societal participation of
diverse groups
Therefore: necessary to study intercultural communication and gain some sense of a communicative
competence (multiculturalism as an attitude).
communication
Chantal Matel
IBC, Faculty of Arts
,Intercultural communication
Chapter 1 Challenges of living in a global community
Small world experiment (Milgram, 1967)
- How many steps (via other people) does it take to connect two random people in the world?
- Participants in various cities in the US were asked to send a letter to a person in Boston.
Only via people that they knew personally.
Result:
- On average, it took 5 to 6 steps (people) to get from the starting point to the end point.
- “Six degrees of separation” (network theory)
2012: Small world experiment 2.0
Facebook calculated the distance between two random FB users.
Result:
- “If you pick any two Facebook users, it’s been calculated there’s an average of 3.57 degrees
of separation between them.”
It seems that the world is getting smaller and smaller…
The world as a village
The “global village” McLuhan, 1962
Marshall McLuahn coined the term “global village” to describe a future world in which
communication technology brings news and information to the most remote parts of the world.
Toda:
- Information is ubiquitous (Mass media)
- Communication is 24/7
- Communication is potentially global
Why is it important to gain knowledge about intercultural communication?
- Every person can communicate with people around the globe but we are not all the same
Influence of own cultural perspective:
- Language
- Communication style (formal, informal, etc.)
- Value orientations → how people in different cultures are oriented
Globalization is..
- “The process of interconnectedness between societies, so that events in one place of the
world have more and deeper effects on people and societies far away.”
- “The widening, deepening and speeding up of worldwide interconnectedness in all aspects of
contemporary social life. This interconnectivity breaks down the boundary between East and
West.”
Globalization in business is..
- “The increase of trade around the world, especially by large companies producing or trading
goods in many different countries.”
- “The idea that the world is developing a single economy and culture as a result of improved
technology and communications and the influence of very large multinational companies.”
Do we live in a unified world?
KOF Index of globalization
- Economic globalization: trade & investment flows, import/export
, - Social globalization: personal contact, information flows, number of MacDonalds
restaurants, IKEA stores, etc.
- Political globalization: foreign embassies in a country, membership of international
organizations, participation in UN missions, involvement in international trade agreements.
Views of Globalization
Three perspectives
- Globalists: inevitable development, cannot be resisted or significantly influenced by humans
- Traditionalists: most economic and social activity is regional, rather than global, significant
role of nation-states
- Transformationalists: significant shift, but there is still significant scope for national, local
and other agencies.
Global cultural diversity
- Today about 5.000 distinct languages/cultures
- Representing at least 300 distinct phyla, i.e., distinct ethnolinguistic families like Indo-
European, Sinitic, Austronesian, etc.
, Contributors to cultural contact
- Advanced technology and transportation, and increased mobility
o Easier to travel & move for economic or lifestyle opportunities
o Easier to interact online via ever-changing apps & modalities
o Smaller, yet more diverse world
➔ Understanding other cultures is a challenge we face on an everyday basis
- Global economy and business transactions
o Global transformation: local markets as diverse as global market
o International expansion: MNCs operating globally, outsourcing to low-wage countries
o Diverse workforce: migrant workers, expats
➔ Understanding cultural tensions created by economic transformations is a
challenge we face in intercultural communication in a business context (e.g.
BREXIT, TTIP, EU, NATO)
- Mass migration and international exchange
(ca. 5% of global population is mobile):
o Immigration flows, form developing to developed countries
o Refugees form war-torn countries
o Migrant workers who move to a host country temporarily
o Student exchanges (Erasmus, etc.)
o Expats who temporarily relocate to work in another country
➔ Facilitating intercultural co-existence is a challenge we face in our society
Necessity and benefits of IC (1)
Multiculturalism
- Society made up of diverse cultures (multiculturalism at the descriptive level)
- Living and working together requires tolerance and mutual understanding
- ‘melting pot’ societies flourish when there is acceptance of equal societal participation of
diverse groups
Therefore: necessary to study intercultural communication and gain some sense of a communicative
competence (multiculturalism as an attitude).
