Culture and Intergroup Communication

Abstract

This chapter examines the relation between culture and communication as it pertains to intergroup relations between ethnolinguistic groups. It begins with an overview of some current theories of intergroup communication. It then considers ways in which culture might be overlaid on such a theoretical framework by reviewing (1) research that investigated how psychological dimensions that differentiate cultural groups (e.g. individualism and collectivism) predict differences in intergroup communication, and (2) research that examined how communication processes might contribute to the construction of group cultures. It then presents research findings that suggest that communication dynamics are important for understanding acculturative changes in social identity. Throughout the discussion it is argued that a complete account of the reciprocal relation between culture and intergroup communication requires explicit attention to the relative status of groups in contact, the normative expectations for communication across situations and groups of different status, and the communicative competence of interlocutors.