Towards a Performative Turn in Intercultural Communication

Abstract

ABSTRACT To engage the contributions of Performance Studies for the study of culture and communication, this article offers an initial exploration of a performative turn in intercultural communication. Using performances of sexuality with a focus on the declaration of one’s own sexual non-normativity – commonly known as “coming out” in Western discourses – as an example, I first discuss how a performance analytic might examine cultural particularities of this communicative action. Next, I discuss the notion of “hardening performances” and introduce three processes – sedimentation, calcification, and ossification – for the examination of power in intercultural communication. I conclude by exploring some implications of a performative turn in culture and communication.