Rethinking “Ethnicity” as structural–cultural project(s): notes on the interface between cultural studies and intercultural communication

Abstract

This essay contributes yet another perspective, both metatheoretical and methodological, to the dialogue about examining the relationship between ethnicity and communication. This essay argues for a reconsideration of ethnicity in terms of cultural studies and its emphasis on the interrelationship between structural and interactional aspects of identity. Our analyses of ethnicity should be framed as structural–cultural projects, each with its own nuances, terms, and politics. By discussing my own research as an example, I discuss metatheoretical issues and methodological questions that might lead us to deeper cultural analysis on ethnicity and identity formation. This writing represents a starting point from which more discussion about potential alliances between cultural studies and intercultural research can be drawn.