A Glimpse Into Intercultural Communication Study In America

Since its debut in the 1970s when the study of intercultural communication in America began to consolidate the foundations accumulated in the 1950s and 1960s, Intercultural Communication: A Reader edited by Larry A. Samovar and Richard E. Porter (and Edwin R. McDaniel in the 11th edition) has undergone eleven editions over the past 35 years. During these years, it has been gradually expanding its territories, searching for its parameters, and reaching its full-fledged stage. Therefore, evaluating these eleven editions can provide us useful insights into the development of intercultural communication as a field in America. This thesis aims at this task so as to gain an insight into the underlying perspectives that guide the development of this field. Analyses focus on examining each edition from different angles. Chapter One analyzes the structure of each edition. Chapter Two classifies all the essays into some major categories, which include: (1) approaches to intercultural communication; (2) cultural identity, (3) international cultures, (4) co-cultures, (5) verbal communication, (6) nonverbal communication, (7) cultural contexts, (8) communicating interculturally, (9) ethical considerations. Seven of these areas are further examined in this chapter. This process traces different stages that intercultural communication has undergone as a discipline, pins down the core elements, and generalizes the factors that promote its development, thus gaining a comprehensive picture of its development in America. Finally, based on the above analyses, the thesis generlizes the major features of American intercultual communcation as reflected in the eleven editions, and proposes some sugguestions for further study.