Published in cooperation with the Speech Communication Association Division on International and Intercultural Communication
The editors should be commended, as the volume presents the latest thinking and research from scholars within the intercultural field and, more broadly, from the speech communication discipline. For those interested in learning more about various communication-based theories and approaches to the study of intercultural competence I highly recommend they take a close look at this book. I found the introductory chapter by Koester, Wiseman, and Sanders extremely valuable in integrating the various perspectives represented by the authors. Their discussion of the starting points for the study of the intercultural communication competence… was very well written. Part I focused on conceptual issues, and it includes and excellent review article by Judith Martin about the various approaches taken in the study of intercultural communication competence. William Gudykunst’s anxiety/uncertainty management chapter is perhaps the clearest and most practical extension to date of his extensive theoretical research program on uncertainty and anxiety reduction processes. It is tightly written with examples and elaborated explanations of key constructs that relate to intercultural effectiveness. I found this chapter [Myron Lustig and Brian Spitzberg’s methodological concerns relevant to the study of intercultural communication competence] to be one of the most targeted analyses of research methods for examining communication competence within the distinctly different intercultural arena. This chapter provides a blueprint for research design decision making on studying the difficult phenomenon of intercultural communication competence… .Donal Carbaugh’s ethnographic approach for identifying the verbal means and meanings in social interaction is exciting, creative, insightful, and practical. I highly recommend Intercultural Communication Competence for a graduate-level theory course in intercultural communication and, more generally, for any course that focuses on cross-cultural interaction. Further, this book would be a welcome addition for a graduate-level intercultural research course.Overall, Wiseman and Koester have edited a high-quality intercultural book that focuses on a complex communication phenomenon. I urge anyone interested in this important topic to read Intercultural Communication Competence. –Mitchell R. Hammer, The American University, International Journal of Intercultural Relations Contemporary societies have witnessed the greatest migration of human populations in recorded history. Accordingly, interactions among citizens of these societies are becoming increasingly intercultural. By gathering the most current research, theories, and methods from the leading scholars in the field, Intercultural Communication Competence is the state-of-the-art study on intercultural communication competence and effectiveness. Part I analyzes the conceptual decisions made in intercultural communication competence research by examining decisions regarding conceptualization, operationalization, research design, and sampling. In Part Two, the contributors present four different theoretical orientations while illustrating how each person’s theoretical bias directs the focus of research. The essays in the final section examine both qualitative and quantitative approaches to intercultural communication competence research. With exemplary conceptual and empirical studies, scholars, researchers, teachers, and students alike will find a wealth of information in this tightly edited book.
