Independent Learning Centre

In light of globalization, cross-cultural communication and cultural awareness have become increasingly important in a diverse and multicultural world. This book explains the layers of meaning of culture based upon the theories of leading academics. It also identifies the barriers to effective cross-cultural communication and suggests practical strategies to overcome them. The authors provide practical examples from their own experience.

Highlights include:
Definition of culture (p.4), barriers to effective communication (pp.10-11), on ambiguity, perception and stereotypes (pp.13-15), monochronic and polychronic cultures (p.27), high context and low context dimensions (p.29), Hofstede’s four dimensions of power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty (p.31), and the sixth dimension of indulgence versus restraint (p.40-41), the Mole Map (p.55), Lewis’s Cultural Model (p.57).

Cross-cultural communication is essential in an educational setting as well as in the workplace. This book explains the broader concept in relation to cultural identity and cultural frameworks, including background and experience. It helps students in making a difference in the world by forging healthy and productive relationships with people of other cultures.

Highlights include:
Cultural identity (pp.59-84), cultural frames of reference (pp.83-107), intercultural communication and friendship (pp.197-218), diversity in educational settings (pp.247-250), intercultural communication in the workplace (pp.269-291).

This book emphasizes family, religion and history as key variables in intercultural communication, aspects which are less commonly explored in books on cultural communication. With in-depth research and compelling examples, this book aims to challenge assumptions and cultural biases. It helps students understand the ways culture affects communication in different contexts.

Highlights include:
The importance of history (chapter 4), worldview: cultural explanations of life and death (chapter 5), cultural influences on communication contexts: responding to the setting (chapter 10).

Having defined the culture as a context for communication and introduced intercultural communication in Part 1, the book then details communication variables, cultural values, and how immigration induces cultural impacts and cultural contact. The book draws on case studies of communication behaviours in different cultural contexts so as to help you enhance your intercultural communication competence through understanding perceptions of and reactions to cultural behaviours.

Highlights include barriers to intercultural communication (pp. 80-105), contact between cultures (pp. 278-303), and descriptions about culture shock (pp. 309-311).

Exploring how cultural context affects the use and understanding of language, the book elaborates components of context in Part I and presents conversation studies across cultures in Part II. The final part reveals how various facets of cultural context come into play. The book appeals to readers who want to improve intercultural communication skills through identifying cultural context components.

Highlights include conversation across cultures (pp. 95-117) and successful intercultural communication (pp. 227-244).

本書共分十章，分別以出版、文學、建築、裝置藝術、攝影、報刊專欄、文化評論與電影為主題，探討香港文化的內涵，由是提出「外來與本地」、「東與西」、「傳統與現代」以及「雅與俗」實是認識香港文化的四大關鍵。篇中所舉例子雖止於上世紀九十年代，然作者對香港文化的反思，如兩度談及香港的都市空間（頁32 - 39及頁86 - 99）具有拼貼特徵等看法，相信依然能引起讀者共鳴。

本書共分五章，作者從「文化」的基本概念出發，探討跨文化交流的過程。當中第二章講述文化的結構特徵（頁38 - 108），指出對時空的理解、思維方式與行為模式等，往往是了解文化差異的關鍵。而第四章則敘述外來者在異地生活的適應問題（頁131 - 180），對人在他鄉的心理狀況有詳盡的分析。書後另附錄「 哈姆萊特在非洲」（頁202 - 217），藉非洲部族如何理解莎士比亞劇作的故事，展現跨文化交流的狀況，讀來亦饒富趣味。

全書分為五章，作者從傳播學角度，利用質性研究方法，探討跨文化人際關係維繫的問題。其中第四章講論兩岸學生之身份認同問題（頁113 - 149），訪問內容所反映的各種觀點，今日讀來依然具啟發意義。而第五章敘述台灣外籍家傭與當地僱主的互動經歷（頁157 - 187），與香港的情況亦相似，堪為了解相近議題的參照。讀者如希望了解跨文化友誼之維繫，則可參閱第六章（頁193 - 218），作者結合理論與訪談實例，對相關問題有詳細的說明。