Intergroup Communication

Abstract

Intergroup communication proposes that when individuals interact with each other, it is most often their salient social memberships and not their individual characteristics that shape the communication. Thus, intergroup communication examines how our communication provides information about our identification with different groups in society, as well as how information about groups and group membership shape communication. While communication is acknowledged to be both an interpersonal and an intergroup phenomenon, intergroup communication scholars argue that much of our communication is in some way intergroup (where groups include, for example, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or political party). Intergroup communication views communication as a dynamic process where each speaker’s cognitions, emotions, and motivations influence communication behavior in interactions. These processes are argued by intergroup communication scholars to underpin communication across many different contexts. Intergroup communication also focuses on explaining conflict and miscommunication and, in particular, intergroup communication focuses on communication between dominant and subordinate groups. The systematic study of intergroup communication has its strongest roots in social psychology, together with socio-psychological areas of communication. This bibliographical review provides key authors and references for the area of intergroup communication. Many argue the field began in the 1970s in the United Kingdom with Tajfel’s work on social identity theory (e.g., Tajfel and Turner 1986) and Giles’s work on speech (later communication) accommodation theory (Giles 1973) (both cited under Theories: Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT)). Specifically, Giles theorized the bridge from social psychology to language and communication. However, owing to this area having a strong multidisciplinary heritage, the field of intergroup communication has links to earlier social psychological work of Lambert and his colleagues, with clear connections also to early work in intercultural relations and prejudice by Serge Moscovici, Thomas Pettigrew, and Muzafer Sherif. At the same time, the field also has links to early work in sociolinguistics, anthropology, sociology, and linguistics (see, for example, the work of Edward T. Hall, John Gumperz, Lesley Milroy, and William Labov). Initially mostly described as social psychology of language, a greater focus has emerged over time on communication rather than language, and intergroup communication specifically rather than the social psychology of language more generally. Early on, much of the research on intergroup communication was undertaken in social psychology, but, more recently, communication scholars have also adopted this approach. Early intergroup communication research was also primarily in intercultural communication, but the field quickly expanded to include research on gender, aging/intergenerational, organizational communication, and health communication. The field has continued to embrace new contexts, such as policing and civilian relations, internet communication, and the application of social neuroscience to measure brain activity across intergroup encounters.