Multicultural third culture building: A case study of a multicultural social support group

Miriam Sobre-Denton (1)
1. Assistant Professor Department of Communication Studies Texas State University

Abstract

Cross-cultural transitions provide rich opportunities for increased intercultural dialogue in multicultural social networks. This research uses Casmir’s third culture theory as a framework to examine social support during adaptation, by presenting a case study of an ethnography of an international student group. The study contributes to cross-cultural adaptation literature by exploring how membership in a multicultural social support group influences member identities and interactions with the host-culture during transitions. Findings extend third culture theory from a combination of two cultures to an amalgamation of multiple cultural influences; membership the group influences multicultural identity construction, providing rich social support that complicates home/host culture bifurcations.

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Authors

Miriam Sobre-Denton
mss138@txstate.edu (Primary Contact)
Author Biography

Miriam Sobre-Denton

Dr. Miriam Sobre was an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Texas State University. She will be leaving in May of 2018 to pursue a career in intercultural training and working with refugees and migrants in South Texas. Her work on cosmopolitanism and critical intercultural communication pedagogy have won awards at the National Communication Association. She researches and teaches intercultural communication and qualitative methods to undergraduates, graduate students, and practioners, and has published articles in the International Journal of Intercultural Relations, the Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, and the Journal of Contemporary Eth

Sobre-Denton, M. (2017). Multicultural third culture building: A case study of a multicultural social support group. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 17(3), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v17i3.748

Article Details

How to Cite

Sobre-Denton, M. (2017). Multicultural third culture building: A case study of a multicultural social support group. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 17(3), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v17i3.748