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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Alex Bowyer
In this paper, I will explore the concept of ethnicity and use it as a frame to look at how recent intercultural communication research has evolved. I will first define “ethnicity”, contrasted with the related concepts of race, nationality, language, and culture. Introducing the research space surrounding ethnicity and communication, I will examine how stereotypes and intergroup attitudes play a role both in society and within the research community. I will use a 2010 case study to illustrate how ethnicity affects people’s communication with others. I will then explore intercultural competency, that is, how people of different ethnicities can communicate more effectively. I will then describe how, through globalisation and culture mixing, ethnicity has become less relevant for research as focus has shifted towards individual attitudes rather than national traits in order to better understand the cultural context of communication today. I will use a second case study from 2015 to demonstrate the emergence of transcendent identity in society. Finally, I will frame the changed thinking about ethnicity in the everyday reality of today’s world in the context of issues such as fear of immigrants and “post-racial Obama-ism”. In conclusion, I will summarise the contribution of ethnicity and communication research towards our understanding of how people communicate in contemporary society.
Author(s): Bowyer AJB
Publication type: Working Paper
Publication status: Unpublished
Type of Article: Original Masters Student Research Report
Year: 2017
