ABSTRACT
Two major influences on contemporary societies dictate that diffusion and hybridization of communicative norms will be an increasingly significant feature of our communication landscape: Transnational population flows; and the impact of mediated communication, including by means of the Internet. This study explores implications of different ways of viewing the ‘cultural’ and ‘communication’ dimensions of intercultural communication in such volatile circumstances. It considers the risk of reproducing cultural stereotypes in characterizing the speakers engaged in intercultural communication and the types of communication they engage in. It also examines the ‘inter’ that allows intercultural communication to be something active, with scope for creative fusion, initiative and change. By way of conclusion, we suggest that intercultural communication studies may need to be reconceptualized if the field is to engage adequately with further possible convergence (including communicative convergence) between cultures.
