Japan is heterogeneous and culturally diverse, both historically through ancient waves of immigration and in recent years due to its foreign relations and internationalization. However, Japan has socially, culturally, politically, and intellectually constructed a distinct and homogeneous identity. More recently, this identity construction has been rightfully questioned and challenged by Japan’s culturally diverse groups. This book explores the discursive systems of cultural identities that regenerate the illusion of Japan as a homogeneous nation. Contributors from a variety of disciplines and methodological approaches investigate the ways in which Japan’s homogenizing discourses are challenged and modified by counter-homogeneous message systems. They examine the discursive push-and-pull between homogenizing and heterogenizing vectors, found in domestic and transnational contexts and mobilized by various identity politics, such as gender, sexuality, ethnicity, foreign status, nationality, multiculturalism, and internationalization. After offering a careful and critical analysis, the book calls for a complicating of Japan’s homogenizing discourses in nuanced and contextual ways, with an explicit goal of working towards a culturally diverse Japan. Taking a critical intercultural communication perspective, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Japanese Studies, Japanese Culture and Japanese Society.

This book is the first to provide a summary of the state of knowledge about communication in Japan and the United States. Included is an overview of the major approaches used in the study of communication in these two countries, an overview of the major cultural factors influencing communication, a description of the sociolinguistic differences between English and Japanese, an examination of Japanese-American communication as a function of the cultural values learned from the two cultures, and a summary of research comparing interpersonal research in Japan and the United States, as well as research on intercultural communication between Japanese and North Americans. The book also examines communication in organizational contexts in Japan and the United States and describes differences in mass communication between the two cultures.

Contains 36 articles showcasing the development and diversity of intercultural communication theories in countries such as China, Africa, the United States, New Zealand, Mexico, Egypt, and others. Topics discussed include identity and communication, intercultural verbal and nonverbal processes and interactions, relationships, and ethics. -- Publisher description

What is intercultural communication? How does perspective shape a person’s definition of the key tenets of the term and the field? These are the core questions explored by this accessible global introduction to intercultural communication. Each chapter explores the topic from a different geographic, religious, theoretical, and/or methodological perspective, with an emphasis on non-Western approaches, including Buddhist, South American, Muslim, and Chinese perspectives. Featuring the voices of a range of international contributors, this new textbook presents the full breadth of diverse approaches to intercultural communication and showcases the economic, political, and cultural/societal needs for and benefits of communicative competence.

With the development of instantaneous global communication, it is vital to communicate effectively across cultural boundaries. This addition to the acclaimed Encountering Mission series is designed to offer contemporary intercultural communication insights to mission students and practitioners. Authored by leading missionary scholars with significant intercultural experience, the book explores the cultural values that show up in intercultural communication and examines how we can communicate effectively in a new cultural setting. Features such as case studies, tables, figures, and sidebars are included, making the book useful for classrooms.

This handbook summarises the state of the art in international, cultural and developmental communication and sets the agenda for future research.

This handbook deals with the question of how people can best live and work with others who come from very different cultural backgrounds. Handbook of Intercultural Training provides an overview of current trends and issues in the field of intercultural training. Contributors represent a wide range of disciplines including psychology, interpersonal communication, human resource management, international management, anthropology, social work, and education. Twenty-four chapters, all new to this edition, cover an array of topics including training for specific contexts, instrumentation and methods, and training design.

The Handbook of Critical Intercultural Communication aims to furnish scholars with a consolidated resource of works that highlights all aspects of the field, its historical inception, logics, terms, and possibilities. A consolidated resource of works that highlights all aspects of this developing field, its historical inception, logics, terms, and possibilities Traces the significant historical developments in intercultural communication Helps students and scholars to revisit, assess, and reflect on the formation of critical intercultural communication studies Posits new directions for the field in terms of theorizing, knowledge production, and social justice engagement

This handbook takes a multi-disciplinary approach to offer a current state-of-art survey of intercultural communication (IC) studies. The chapters aim for conceptual comprehension, theoretical clarity and empirical understanding with good practical implications. Attention is mostly on face to face communication and networked communication facilitated by digital technologies, much less on technically reproduced mass communication. Contributions cover both cross cultural communication (implicit or explicit comparative works on communication practices across cultures) and intercultural communication (works on communication involving parties of diverse cultural backgrounds). Topics include generally histories of IC research, theoretical perspectives, non-western theories, and cultural communication; specifically communication styles, emotions, interpersonal relationships, ethnocentrism, stereotypes, cultural learning, cross cultural adaptation, and cross border messages;and particular context of conflicts, social change, aging, business, health, and new media. Although the book is prepared for graduate students and academicians, intercultural communication practitioners will also find something useful here.

Conflict management and harmony building are two key issues of intercultural communication research and merit particular attention in the globally interconnected world. In the expanded second edition, the book explores the effective ways to manage intercultural conflict and develop intercultural harmony, and takes an interdisciplinary approach to address the two issues. The book begins with the theoretical perspectives on conflict management and harmony building. It examines intercultural communication ethics, diversity and inclusion, conflict resolution, conflict face negotiation, and intercultural competence. It presents both Western and non-Western perspectives. The book then addresses in its second section conflict management and harmony building in specific contexts. These include communication in intergenerational relationships, multinational corporations, and virtual spaces, and covers a range of national cultures including the USA, Japan, Germany, and China. Drawing on the current research findings, this book covers the major theoretical perspectives and provides for a wide range of discussions on intercultural conflict management. It is a crucial reference for teachers, students, researchers, and practitioners alike.