Communication Between Cultures

Issues of identity can be expected to remain complex—and perhaps become more

so—as globalism and multiculturalism increasingly characterize contemporary society.

It is clear, however, that the old understanding of a fixed cultural identity or ethnicity

is outdated, and identity is rapidly becoming more of an“articulated negotiation

between what you call yourself and what other people are willing to call you.”^82

Regardless of how they are achieved, the form they take, or how they are acquired,

your identities will remain a product of culture.

Competency and Identity in Intercultural Interactions

We have already discussed that identity is established through communicative

interaction with others. Hecht and his colleagues also point out that identity is

“maintained and modified through social interaction. Identity then begins to

influence interaction through shaping expectations and motivating behavior.”^83

As was previously mentioned, you are constantly assuming different identities as

you interact with other people, and with each identity you employ a set of com-

municative behaviors appropriate for that identity and context. Culture has

shaped your understanding and expectations of appropriate communicative beha-

viors for various social settings—for example, a classroom, hospital, sales meeting,

wedding, or funeral. But what is appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate

in another. We have also illustrated howstudents and teachers in Japan and the

United States have quite different culturally established standards for classroom

communicative behavior. However, what if a Japanese student is placed in a

U.S. classroom or vice versa?

In an intercultural meeting, the varying expectations for identity display and

communication style carry considerable potential for creating anxiety, misunder-

standings, and even conflict. This is why Imahori and Cupach consider“cultural

identity as a focal element in intercultural communication.”^84 Continuing with

our student/teacher example, try to imagine how students from a culture that does

not value individuality and communicative assertiveness would feel in a typical

U.S. classroom. Being unaccustomed to having an instructor query students, they

would probably be reluctant to raise theirhands and would likely consider U.S. stu-

dents who challenged the teacher to be rude or even arrogant. These factors would

probably produce a degree of confusion andstress. To avoid potential problems dur-

ing intercultural interaction, you need to develop what Collier calls intercultural

competence, which is achieved when an avowed identity matches the ascribed

identity.

For example, if you avow the identity of an assertive, outspoken U.S. American and your

conversational partner avows himself or herself to be a respectful, nonassertive Vietnamese,

then each must ascribe the corresponding identity to the conversational partner. You must

jointly negotiate what kind of relationship will be mutually satisfying. Some degree of

adjustment and accommodation is usually necessary.^85

Collier is saying that in order to communicate effectively in an intercultural sit-

uation, to lessen the potential of tension and misunderstanding, an individual’s

avowed cultural identity and communication style should match the identity and

style ascribed to him or her by the other party. But since the communication styles

262 CHAPTER 7•Culture and Identity: Situating the Individual

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