ABSTRACT
The intercultural communication enterprise has been driven by an emphasis on the relationships between the modern European world, as expressed by the dominant cultures of North America and Europe, and various native peoples of America, Asia, and Africa. From the outset, the field’s academic emphasis, following general commercial and trade interests, has been on interpreting “other” cultures in search of the most productive pathways to the consumers of those societies. This strategic alterity has proven significant in theoretical and methodological developments in the field. Indeed, it is the basis for the work of many contemporary scholars in intercultural communication. As globalization and localization intensify in every corner of the world, however, the field is increasingly confronted by more fundamental issues of identity, community, and humanity. In effect, intercultural communication is the only way to mitigate identity politics, social disintegration, religious conflicts, and ecological vulnerability in the global village. Human survival and flourishing depends on our ability to communicate successfully across differences.
