ABSTRACT
In this chapter, S. Lily Mendoza, Rona T. Hualualani, and Jolanta A. Drzewiecka advocate an alternative communication-based framework for theorizing culture and identity. They note that the past conceptualizations of identity in the functional and interpretive research traditions are inadequate to capture the complexity and volatility of identity. They embark on the task of theorizing identity as a dynamic and multi-faceted process through the conjunction of the critical and interpretive approaches. In their innovative approach, they define identities as projects, performed jointly by the contingent self and determining structures to produce a coherent, stable, and unified sense of self (subjectivity). In their case studies on Polish, Hawaiian, and Filipino/a cultural identities, Mendoza, Hualualani, and Drzewiecka illustrate that identity can be explored with consideration of both interpersonal interactions and social/historical structures. The first case of Polish identity emphasizes identities as performative, that is, communicative acts that constitute, rather than merely express, subjectivities. The second case of indigenous Hawaiian identities reveals that identities are double-sided, resignifiable, and unforeclosed. Finally, the third case of the Filipino indigenization movement envisages identity as dynamic translation toward a more equitable and just collective cultural identity. Like Mendoza, Hualualani, and Drzewiecka, Kalscheuer (Chapter 11) also ventures to bridge the gap between research at the micro-level (interpersonal/intergroup interaction dynamics) and at the macro-level (social, political, and historical contexts) in intercultural communication.
