Theorizing About Intercultural Communication

"Each chapter takes on the issue at hand with a considerable degree of rigor that incorporates extensive literature reviews, theoretical backgrounds, and detailed explanations of the development of each theoretical perspective."

—Adrian Holliday, Canterbury Christ Church University, North Holmes Campus, UK

There are several approaches to incorporating culture into communication theories. First, culture can be integrated with the communication process in the theories of communication. Second, theories can be designed to describe how communication varies across cultures. And third, theories can be generated to explain communication between people from different cultures. In Theorizing About Intercultural Communication, editor William B. Gudykunst brings together key theories that have shaped and influenced human intercultural communication.

Theorizing About Intercultural Communication provides an excellent overview of the major theories currently in use and examines how these theories will also support the foundation for future research in this area. Contributors to this text include individuals who actually developed the theories covered in the book. Each contributor highlights the evolution, development, and application of the theory to provide a thorough and contemporary view of the field.

Key Features

First student text on intercultural communication theories with consistent chapter organization, headings, and pedagogy to aid comprehension and allow for theories to be easily compared and contrastedIntercultural communication theories are discussed by those who developed them to provide a firsthand look at how these theories originated An introductory chapter and part overviews highlight the importance of studying and using intercultural communication theoriesEach theory′s testing and application is emphasized to demonstrate how the theory can be implementedSeveral new hypotheses on topics such as co-cultural and dialectical concepts are examined, in addition to modifications of long-standing theories, making this the most up-to-date text on intercultural communication theoriesTheorizing About Intercultural Communication is an excellent text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses on Intercultural Communication, Communication Theory, and Cultural Studies.