5 Culture, Communication and Development

PRESENTED PAPERS

Intercultural communication future development: IC research on a global scale
Presenter: Xi Guo

In past courses, we have learned about the outstanding contributions of Western scholars to the study of intercultural communication. With the development of time and globalization, intercultural communication research faces a more complex cultural environment and more challenges. This paper aims to introduce the macroevolution of intercultural communication and briefly analyze the future direction and challenges facing intercultural communication. The discipline of intercultural communication was born in the United States after World War II. Many scholars have contributed influential theories and concepts to the domain in the decades since, which has developed in different countries. However, research has shown that the center of the academic field of intercultural communication remains in the United States, followed by East Asian countries.

Moreover, Eurocentrism tends to ignore or simplify the complexities of other cultures, thus hindering the development of intercultural communication. Globalization has linked the world together. Globalization helps multiculturalism intermingle and coexist harmoniously, but it also implies a reversal of the order of transmission, turning intercultural communication from a rational encounter to a blind confrontation. Cosmopolitanism advocates a community of humanity, and nationalism emphasizes cultural autonomy. Applying cosmopolitan and nationalist theories to examine intercultural communication from the perspective of globalization helps to reposition self-identity. Traditional research approaches to intercultural communication are limited, and in the face of dynamic contradictions, researchers should take a connected, developmental, and holistic view of the problem. The use of multiple research methods, such as dialectic, contributes to the further extension of cross-cultural communication research. The discipline of intercultural communication is a dynamic field full of new ideas and approaches. What is certain is that intercultural communication will continue to evolve.

Examination of multilingualism with respect to the Indian social and cultural fabric
Presenter: Akriti Tyagi

A reflection of a person’s customs and belief systems, language carries values by which we perceive ourselves and our place in the world. It inherently defines an individual’s identity and determines their place in society. India is a diverse nation that prides itself to be multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-linguistic. From a global perspective, India’s legal stance on language remains exceptional as the constitution of the nation recognizes 22 scheduled languages and has given equal legal status to them. The key question this paper will consider is if equal recognition is extended to all languages in societal practice and norms, along with touching upon the need to have a lingua franca to act as a bridge language for the linguistically diverse nation. This is a qualitative study and the worldview espoused is the transformative paradigm, as the paper is directly focused on confronting social change. This paper is grounded in the theoretical framework of cultural hegemony, which explores the relationship between culture and power in a capitalistic society. Certain social groups, which form the dominant class, exercise control over others by establishing their linguistic practices as the most desirable ones in society. Research on this topic has indicated that the current right-of-center government has introduced several policies, aimed at making Hindi the unifying, or bridge language, in the country. The idea of One Nation, One Language, an ideology which espouses that the nation needs to base its identity on a single language, has been promoted. These attempts to prioritize Hindi have been resisted by regional language speakers as they view them as attempts to subsume, suppress and demolish their identity. This calls for tangible action to safeguard the pluralistic and diverse disposition of Indian culture and prevent the manifestation of Hindi imperialism.

SUBMITTED PAPERS

Cultural hegemony: A subtle way of dominating subalterns
Presenter: Mohammed Rijas Ambalathveettil Kabeer

Hegemony refers to the cultural, ideological, social, and economic influence of a dominant group on the others, which is derived from the words “hegemon” (leader) ve and “hegeisthai” (management) in ancient Greek. (Korkmaz, 2016: 7, as cited in Duran, 2019, p.541). Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci proposed the concept of Hegemony. The hegemonic power works in a top-to-bottom structure, wherein a legitimate power dominates the subalterns at different levels. The hegemonic discourses have the intellectual potential to construct consciousness in subalterns, to believe domination is a good thing. It is created through various mediums. Politics, media, language, education, ideal state, ideologies, and west-centered narratives idealize various daily living standards. Post-2014, right after Narendra Modi was in power, there was a substantial shift in the Indian political framework. The right-wing Hindutva nationalists have jeopardized the secular fabric of Indian society. The neo-fascist regime threatens the democratic civic spaces and the coexistence of inter-religious harmony. In India, the cultural context caste system has played a major role in marginalizing lower-class people and dominating them socially, politically, and culturally. Majoritarian language Hindi is also used as a tool to strengthen the national identity. The whole essence of India as a nation is based on its diverse nature. The political agenda of the hegemonic right-wing to bring all diversity under a unique idea of nationalism is a greater threat to the secular and diversity of the country. The right-wing groups are making a conscious effort to shift the cultural framework of the country. This study examines how the concept of cultural Hegemony is working in India’s cultural and political framework, contextualizing the caste system and language imposition in India. The paper also critically analyses the scope of the concept of Hybridity proposed by Homi Bhabha.

Cultural identity and globalization
Presenter: Nwamaka Jacynthia Echiagu Ahuekwe

Presently, the world has openly embraced Globalization. Globalization has become an overwhelming world trend that has stirred many individuals’ directions, irrespective of culture and identity. Contrary to the belief or assumptions of many, Globalization is not simply homogenization; rather, it enhances cultural identity.

With the development and introduction of modern science and technology, people are compelled to move out of their ingroup in search of greener pasture, bringing people of different cultural Identities together as before. The sense of unity and togetherness accompanied by Globalization is in no way in disagreement with diversity. More people are embracing the era of Globalization. They are becoming more concerned and aware of their own culture and identity’s uniqueness and peculiarity. Cultural identity conveys the global importance of local knowledge and self-awareness of a community and the people. From the perspective of science, technology, and economic development in a sense, Globalization reflects the theory of convergence and hegemony. But in a more profound sense, it promotes cultural identity.

This paper tries to explain how Globalization and cultural identity can form a fruitful interaction. If Globalization is viewed from a sense of unity, the world in its diversity will make a more substantial impact. Globalization and cultural identity are intertwined. Globalization promotes cultural diversity; it encourages intercultural identity and defends new people’s cultural and social identities in the Global era. The situation is very complicated in terms of Globalization and Cultural Identity. It is useful when viewed analytically. On the other hand, we also need a clear idea of ​​culture. Only then can we understand the impact of globalization on culture and how to deal with the dynamics of Globalization.