Many Eastern cultures acknowledge that the world isn’t dualistic. Dichotomies such as good/evil, wrong/right, objective/subjective, male/female, in-group/out-group, black/white, and so on form the basis of much of our thoughts on ethics, culture, and general philosophy, but this isn’t the only way of thinking (Marin & Nakayama, 1999). Dichotomies are dualistic ways of thinking that highlight opposites, reducing the ability to see gradations that exist in between concepts. Thinking dialectically helps us see the complexity in culture and identity because it doesn’t allow for dichotomies. Holding a dialectical perspective may be challenging for some Westerners, as it asks us to hold two contradictory ideas simultaneously, which goes against much of what we are taught in our formal education. Intercultural communication occurs as a dynamic in-betweenness that, while connected to the individuals in an encounter, goes beyond the individuals, creating something unique.
This means we look at the relationship between aspects of intercultural communication rather than viewing them in isolation. This perspective is especially useful for interpersonal and intercultural communication, because when we think dialectically, we think relationally. To put it another way, thinking dialectically helps us realize that our experiences often occur in between two different phenomena. A dialectic is a relationship between two opposing concepts that constantly push and pull one another (Martin & Nakayama, 2010). Taking a dialectical approach allows us to capture the dynamism of intercultural communication. Therefore it is not always easy to conceptualize or study. Intercultural communication is complicated, messy, and at times contradictory. Intercultural Communication: A Dialectical Approach Perhaps less obvious may be the need for teachers to work with students who do not speak English as their first language and for police officers, lawyers, managers, and medical personnel to be able to work with people who have various cultural identities. Obviously, the global market sets up the need to have intercultural competence for employees who travel between locations of a multinational corporation. People in most fields will be more successful if they are prepared to work in a globalized world. However, as the following “Getting Plugged In” box indicates, there is also a digital divide, which refers to the unequal access to technology and related skills that exists in much of the world. As was noted earlier, technology has created for some a global village where vast distances are now much shorter due to new technology that make travel and communication more accessible and convenient (McLuhan, 1967). Changing economies and technologies intersect with culture in meaningful ways (Martin & Nakayama). Additionally, as we become more self-aware, we may also become more ethical communicators as we challenge our ethnocentrism, or our tendency to view our own culture as superior to other cultures.ĭifference matters, and studying intercultural communication can help us better negotiate our changing world.
Intercultural communication can allow us to step outside of our comfortable, usual frame of reference and see our culture through a different lens. However, the old adage “know thyself” is appropriate, as we become more aware of our own culture by better understanding other cultures and perspectives. Our thought process regarding culture is often “other focused,” meaning that the culture of the other person or group is what stands out in our perception. One reason we should study intercultural communication is to foster greater self-awareness (Martin & Nakayama, 2010). Intercultural communication is communication between people with differing cultural identities. It is through intercultural communication that we come to create, understand, and transform culture and identity.