Intercultural communication theory and research have largely been based on the assumption that dealing with cultural differences is the key element in intercultural encounters. This is applied particularly to encounters between people from different societies, either where a participant is visiting another country, or where that participant has recently migrated. Encounters between people who, though culturally different, live permanently together in the same society however, are not necessarily the same as encounters between people from different societies. In the light of this, intercultural communication theory should be reviewed and developed to better conceptualise the nature of intercultural interaction as it occurs within the same (multicultural) society. Such a review requires a framing of intercultural communication episodes within a broader social perspective, a more thorough investigation of the relationship of homogeneity and heterogeneity as it affects intercultural interaction and a greater focus how communication processes help to create culture as well as how they are influenced by culture. An organising model for the multicultural perspective is therefore proposed based on three key elements. First it incorporates a system approach that recognises influences on communication, the interactive process and the outcomes of that process. Second, it incorporates a three-tiered approach that recognises the role played by structural processes in establishing the character of the society, the general patterns of interaction that emerge from these structural processes and the individual application of these processes in communicative episodes. Third, it incorporates a recognition of the interplay of centripetal and centrifugal forces at each of these levels and the range of intercultural possibilities that this raises. The organising model is then used to analyse intercultural interactions across four focuses: meaning, social relations, identity and behaviour / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/182126 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Hall, Douglas Alan, University of Western Sydney, College of Arts, Education and Social Sciences, School of Communication, Design and Media |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Source | THESIS_CAESS_CDM_Hall_D.xml |
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