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Power in Intercultural Education: "Education in Bolivia – from Oppression to Liberation"?Abstract
In this article I will consider the discussion on the educational system in Bolivia. Education is a potentially powerful way of communication. The educational reform of 1994 was a radical reform making it possible for the Indigenous peoples to receive education in their native languages. Nevertheless the government of Evo Morales abolished it as soon as they were in position, starting the process of making a new law with the slogan "decolonizing the education". "Education is oppression or liberation", with these words in the spirit of Paulo Freire the president of the Bolivian senate Santos Ramirez answered when I asked him why the new Bolivian government wants to change the educational system.
Key words: intercultural education, school reform, Bolivia, indigenous population.
intercultural education, school reform, Bolivia, indigenous population.Edgar Hoffmann
The Image of Europe as Advertised in RussiaAbstract
This contribution analyses the image of Europe passed on in current TV-advertising in Russia. This image is only understandable in the context of the current social discussions about national identity and builds on the national self-images. While Russia is very markedly different to Europe in terms of size and importance, tradition and history as well as community and shared identity, the image of Europe is depicted as a homogenous, intrinsically less structured counterpart to the self-image. The image of Europe is based on difference, not on negative foreign stereotyping. As a result, Russia appears as not belonging to Europe.
Keywords: Russia, Europe, advertising, national identity, stereotypes, business communication.
Back to startYukiko Inoue,
Cultural Fluency as a Guide to Effective Intercultural Communication: The Case of Japan and the U.S.Abstract
Intercultural communication serves a vital role in that it can forestall miscommunication and misunderstanding. Because of increased intercultural contact and interdependence, people in the world are forced to "rethink" intercultural communication in order to acquire effective intercultural communication competence. The present paper provides a critical discussion of the conceptualization of intercultural communication and the commonly acknowledged challenge of intercultural communication. With a focus on Japan and the U.S. (since both countries have remarkably different forms of communication in terms of nonverbal communication particularly), the paper defines culture and explores the following: (1) origin of intercultural communication research; (2) cultural fluency and willingness to communicate; and (3) words versus haragei (a Japanese concept), touching upon intercultural (business) communication.
Keywords: intercultural communication, cultural fluency, cultural communication, Japanese forms of communication, nonverbal communication
Hubert Korzilius, Andreu van Hooft, & Brigitte Planken,
A Longitudinal study on intercultural awareness and Foreign Language acquisition in the NetherlandsAbstract
In a longitudinal study we assessed the effect of a four-year International Business Communication program at a university in the Netherlands on students’ intercultural awareness and foreign language acquisition. In pre-test and post-test a measurement instrument featuring everyday (monocultural and intercultural) dialogues involving business associates was used to assess intercultural awareness in a group of 39 students. In addition, self-assessments of students’ mastery of foreign language and interest in other cultures were collected on both occasions. The results indicate that students’ mastery of the foreign languages English and Spanish had increased. However, there was little evidence to indicate an effect of the teaching program on the development of students’ intercultural awareness.
Keywords: effect study, intercultural communicative competence, intercultural awareness, foreign language acquisitionJakob Lauring
Obstacles to Innovative Interaction: Communication Management in Culturally Diverse OrganizationsAbstract
Cultural diversity has often been described as yielding competitive advantages like, for example, innovation resulting from the combination of different cultural perspectives. However, there are also substantial organizational problems related to managing cultural diversity, which need to be overcome in order for diversity to be a useful asset. Based on an empirical study of Danish multicultural companies, this article argues that the understanding of communication processes may reveal important aspects about the obstacles of managing cultural diversity. The main argument is that language-use is linked to social processes that can create boundary creation or social fragmentation within multicultural organizations.
Key words: cultural diversity, multicultural organizations, innovative interaction, innovative thinking.
Ronald Schmidt-Fajlik
Introducing non-verbal communication to Japanese university studentsAbstract
Non-verbal communication is an important aspect to teach Japanese English language students if they are to communicate effectively in English. The purpose of this research is to determine which aspects of non-verbal communication would be important to teach Japanese university students studying English. Literature regarding Japanese use of non-verbal communication is described and used as a basis to determine aspects of non-verbal which would be important to introduce Japanese university students to. These finding are also used to develop a survey which was administered to further determine which types of non-verbal communication used in communication would be important to introduce. The Pedagogical implications of this research is described and practical teaching suggestions are given. The importance of conducting classroom research regarding the introduction of cultural material is emphasized as findings in an initial search of literature regarding Japanese use of non-verbal communication often did not support responses given in the survey.
Keywords: non-verbal communication, body language, intercultural communication, cross-cultural communication, English language education, cultural differences, Japan, eye contact, personal space, touch, paralanguage, culture, teaching culture
Ping Yang
Nonverbal Affiliative Phenomena in Mandarin Chinese ConversationAbstract
Based on naturally occurring audio-video data collected from university campus settings, this study
has identified four nonverbal actions ¾ zhùshì "gaze", diantóu "head nods", wexiao "gentle smile"
and shouchù " hand touch" employed by Mandarin Chinese speakers in their interpersonal communication.
Detailed data analysis and discussion reveal how Mandarin Chinese speakers manage their affiliation
and attachment nonverbally with the co-participants in conversations. Finally, the significance of
the study is discussed.
Key Words: affiliation, Chinese communication, conversation analysis, nonverbal communication