Intercultural Communication
The Indian Context
- Ramesh N. Rao - Columbus State University, Columbus, GA
- Avinash Thombre - University of Arkansas, Little Rock
Intercultural Communication
Intercultural communication has seeped into the training of Indian diplomats, negotiation patterns of savvy business leaders, and day-to-day interaction of young Indians, whether on Facebook or Twitter. This first-of-its-kind book introduces readers to the challenges of, and opportunities for, communicating across verbal, nonverbal, and cultural differences existing in India due to its myriad languages and ethnic, caste, and religious diversity.
The book provides the requisite context, scholarly framework, and examples that help readers appreciate this disparity. It offers tools and steps to reduce conflict and improve communication among diverse groups in a modernizing India. It covers various aspects of intercultural communication—its history, orientation of culture, formation of intercultural identity, cultural conflicts, and so on. It’s an important addition to the curriculum across universities, management institutes, and other higher education portals.
“This book offers the best of all worlds for those interested in intercultural communication in the Indian context. The authors have included the state-of-the-art in terms of theorizing and research on intercultural communication with the application and culture-specific knowledge about India. It is the ideal blend of the global and local focus. This book will be of great interest to students, scholars, practitioners, business people, and politicians interested in the unique intercultural context of India.”
“This Rao–Thombre volume on intercultural communication, steeped in the container of India’s rich and diverse multicultural ethos, is a must-read for scholars and practitioners of intercultural communication and South Asian studies.”
“This work provides a foundational primer on intercultural communication not only as a way to ‘improve Indians’ understanding of themselves’ but to also convey insider knowledge that bridges the gap between Indian and non-Indian cultures. It is a thoroughly refreshing reminder of the power and impact of the field of communication studies in the global context.”
“An extremely useful book at a very important time. Many Indians wrongly assume that speaking many languages and living in different states makes one interculturally competent. This book, the first of its kind in India, brilliantly explains the relationship between language and culture, and the importance of addressing socio-political-economic issues to communicate effectively in India.”
“Rao and Thombre present a compelling argument for the unique cultural fusion that typifies India. Given the complex mosaic of India based on ethnicity, caste, religion, and language, the authors express surprise and dismay that more attention to the process of intercultural communication has not occurred in Indian education. This book is intended to open a dialogue between all the cultural stakeholders in India as well as for outsiders who want to better understand the Indian context. The authors present an engaging in-depth cultural portrait for observers both inside and out of India.”
“Rao and Thombre add much needed depth to the study of intercultural communication, exploring how intersections of culture and communication are lived and practiced in multicultural Indian society. This is an important book that challenges the disciplinary boundary of intercultural communication.”
“This work provides a foundational primer on intercultural communication not only as a way to ‘improve Indians’ understanding of themselves’ but to also convey insider knowledge that bridges the gap between Indian and non-Indian cultures.”