Pema’s Tale: Intercultural Communication as Storytelling

Authors

  • Ellen Rose University of New Brunswick

Abstract

Intercultural communication is typically conceptualized in terms of business-oriented models that focus on the binary differences between cultural groups. Beginning with Edward Hall, the foundational premise is that the basis of effective communication with people of cultures other than our own is a thorough understanding of the disparities between cultural groups. This paper argues that intercultural communication should entail not merely the business-like, efficient exchange of information with different others but the crucial development of a feeling of connection and an appreciation for diverse ways of being in the world. Building upon the work of Jerome Bruner, it further suggests that the focus on dissimilarities which traditional models enforce obscures a true understanding of how intercultural communications can be enabled by a fundamental similarity: the human impulse to make sense of the world through narrative.

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Published

2011-01-01

How to Cite

Rose, E. (2011). Pema’s Tale: Intercultural Communication as Storytelling. Narrative Works, 1(1). Retrieved from https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/NW/article/view/18473

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2011)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright for articles published in Narrative Works is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to Narrative Works. By virtue of their appearance in this open access journal, articles are free to use, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings.