Communicating in Intercultural Spaces

Book excerpt: Communicating in Intercultural Spaces is a unique contribution to literature in intercultural communication from two authors who bring distinct socio-cultural voices to this work. Written for readers ranging from advanced undergraduate students to intercultural practitioners, this book offers a new conceptualisation for understanding intercultural communication. Eight propositions frame the concept of intercultural spaces. Grounding the discussion on the framing of intercultural spaces, the authors engage with a range of topics such as perception, language, acculturation, and intercultural competence, couched in original personal narratives from 21 leading intercultural scholars. The narratives and vignettes add vibrant context to the scholars’ works that are cited in this book. The book also delves into the origins of intercultural communication as a discipline and the dark side of communicating across differences. Each chapter ends with a brief dialogue between the authors, followed by questions for stimulating further reflection. Readers should expect to walk away with an understanding of key theories and frameworks in intercultural communication and the tools with which to develop their own intercultural communication competence.