ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the theoretical developments in the field of intercultural communication in the last centuries, that have been summarized as a move from an essentialist conception of intercultural communication towards a non-essentialist conception. Therefore, five approaches to intercultural communication are introduced in relation to the concept of mediation. These are the contrastive approach, the cultural representation approach, the interactive approach, the multilingual approach and the transfer approach. The final three approaches are also elaborated with examples and case studies, since these contribute mostly to the concept of intercultural competence.
