Synopsis

The authors examine the theoretical influence of culture on interpersonal communication. They provide a framework for guiding future, and for interpreting past, research in the field.

Because cross-cultural comparisons of interpersonal communication must be theoretically based, culture must be treated as a variable in research. This concept is presented in the first two chapters and then applied to specific areas of research. Previous research is reinterpreted in the light of this concept, and explanations are provided on how culture has influenced specific areas such as situational factors, verbal and nonverbal communication styles, interpersonal and intergroup relationships.

Biography

William B. Gudykunst (Ph.D., Minnesota, 1977) is Professor of Speech Communication at the College of Communications, California State University, Fullerton. Bill has written and edited numerous works for SAGE, including the Handbook of Intercultural and International Communication, 2/e, and Bridging Differences: Effective Intergroup Communication, 3/e as well as the best-selling introductory undergraduate texts Building Bridges: Interpersonal Skills for a Changing World (Houghton Mifflin) and Communicating with Strangers: An Approach to Intercultural Communication, 3/e (McGraw-Hill). He is extremely well known in the discipline and is one of its most prolific writers/scholars in the areas of intercultural communication and human communication theory.

Stella Ting-Toomey (Ph.D., University of Washington) is a Professor of Human Communication Studies at California State University, Fullerton. Her research interests focus on fine-tuning the conflict face-negotiation theory and testing the impact of situational and ethnic identity factors on conflict styles. She also holds a strong interest in linking intercultural communication theories with training practice. Stella has published more than 70 journal articles and book chapters in various academic journals. Her publications have appeared in the International Journal of Intercultural Relations, Human Communication Research, Communication Monographs, and Communication Research, among others. She is also the author and editor of 15 books, most recently Understanding Intercultural Communication (with Leeva Chung; Roxbury), Managing Intercultural Conflict Effectively (with John Oetzel; Sage), Communicating Effectively with the Chinese (with Ge Gao; Sage), and Communicating Across Cultures (Guilford). Stella has lectured widely throughout the U.S., Asia, and Europe on the theme of mindful intercultural conflict competence. During her spare time, she enjoys playing the piano and improvising new tunes for fun and relaxation.