&lt;strong&gt;New transdisciplinary methodology based on semiotics for cross-cultural comparisons&lt;/strong&gt;

Neena Gupta-Biener

doi:10.3390/isis-summit-vienna-2015-t9.1006

Abstract

One of the most difficult methodological challenges in cross-cultural comparisons, especially in the field of intercultural communication, is the difficulty of interpreting and translating knowledge transmitted between cultures. New forms of participation and empowerment in the information society can only take place when the information transmitted by using codes of one culture is successfully interpreted and converted as knowledge in another culture.

Highlights

One of the most difficult methodological challenges in cross-cultural comparisons, especially in the field of intercultural communication, is the difficulty of interpreting and translating knowledge transmitted between cultures
I suggest a new transdisciplinary methodology and research paradigm based on semiotics to analyze culture and to frame communication in a language which can be translated in the language of another culture
I have used the basic concept of Biosphere and Lotman's concept of Semiosphere to develop new ontological concepts which can be used in transdisciplinary research projects dealing with cross-cultural comparisons

Summary

Introduction

One of the most difficult methodological challenges in cross-cultural comparisons, especially in the field of intercultural communication, is the difficulty of interpreting and translating knowledge transmitted between cultures. One of the main weaknesses in all these paradigms of culture is the simplification and reduction of culture as a variable thereby ignoring the complexity, context dependency and dynamism of the cultural processes within organizations and cultural processes that influence the organization in different nation-states Reducing it to the level of a uniform national culture that remains constant over time is oversimplification of the term ‘culture’. Culture is no more considered as a ‘bounded world of beliefs and practices’ (Sewell, 1999) which is learnt in childhood and passed on from one generation to another but is rather considered as a ‘tool kit’ (DiMaggio, 1997) or ‘culture as practice’ (Sewell, 1999) which is used by the actors in contextual and opportunistic way as for example, in cross-cultural boundary spanning (Author, 2009) One of the main criticisms is that if culture is such a conscious act, intercultural conflicts would not exist (Magala, 2009)

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