How Do We Define Intercultural Competence?
This chapter helps you to gain a detailed understanding of intercultural competence by considering different terms and definitions used to refer to it. Theories to explain IC from different schools of thought are discussed to help more clearly define IC a
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How Do We Define Intercultural Competence?
‘Tolerance, inter-cultural dialogue and respect for diversity are more essential than ever in a world where peoples are becoming more and more closely interconnected.’—Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations.
This chapter helps you to gain a more detailed understanding of intercultural competence by considering different terms and definitions used to refer to it. Theories to explain IC from different schools of thought are discussed to help more clearly define IC and discuss how it develops and how factors such as context are also influential. Key concepts related to IC are addressed such as ethnocentrism, ethnorelativism, and cultural distance. This chapter helps you to learn to identify when an interaction becomes intercultural and highlights the main components of IC as understood by the authors. Finally, this chapter encourages you to critically evaluate your own IC and to consider ways that you might develop it further. Learning outcomes: By reading this chapter and completing the tasks you will be able to: • • • • • • • • • • •
Identify different terms for IC; Describe in some detail the concept of IC related components; Identify keys concepts relevant to IC; Contrast theories that explain IC; Recognize the influence that context has on adaptation; Explain what an intercultural interaction is; Describe the impact of cultural distance; Identify competencies that are most important in IC; Critically evaluate your own IC; Identify methods to enhance your IC; Recognize the limits of cultural relativism.
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 C. Lantz-Deaton and I. Golubeva, Intercultural Competence for College and University Students, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57446-8_4
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4 How Do We Define Intercultural Competence?
After considering culture in Chap. 2 and looking at processes which hinder positive relationships between people from different cultures in Chap. 3, we now turn to dissecting intercultural competence (IC) more carefully by examining the term, definition and theories developed to explain it. Unfortunately, however, there is another major hurdle to overcome: trying to understand the meaning of IC when there is no agreement upon term, definition or theory to explain it. This is in part because it has been studied and written about by scholars from different fields such as sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists, foreign language educators, and management and communication scholars among others. The fact that it is studied by so many disciplines is in one way positive because a lot of research has been produced on the topic. However, it has also hindered and complicated the development of the field because often researchers fail to look outside of their own disciplines to learn from research conducted in other disciplines. Also, because individuals and organizations that have a stake in concepts such as IC, tend to interpret them according to
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