Intercultural Communication: Licence 1 INFO COM

• The lecture covers intercultural communication in Licence 1 INFO COM, 2024-2025.
• The instructor is M. Ngono.
• The lecture is Séance 3.

Emergence Context of Intercultural Communication

• Several factors contribute to studies in intercultural communication.
• Intercultural communication is increasingly common due to globalization.
• The "5th globalization" (El Mouhoub Mouhoud, 2017) discusses the immigration of workers from one country or continent to another.

Obstacles to Intercultural Communication

• Intercultural communication faces several obstacles.
• Language proficiency alone isn't enough to understand others.
• Understanding communication codes and cultural specificities is essential.
• Stereotypes are visions or ideas repeated about others without critical examination.
• Stereotypes are representations and habits leading to judgments not based in reality.

Theories of Interculturality

• The lecture plan includes the following theories:
• Culturalist theory or culturalism
• Interactionist theory
• Theory of cultural diversity
• Theory of the "clash of civilizations"

Culturalist Theory or Culturalism

• Authored by Ruth Benedict, an American anthropologist.
• Benedict's work is "Patterns of Culture."
• Culture understood as rigid shapes the personality of individuals.
• Culturalism places culture as the primary explanation for differences between human groups and their social behaviors.
• Culture has a strong influence on individual behaviors.

Critique of Culturalist Theory

• The theory is criticized for being simplistic and reductionist, leading to generalizations.
• It neglects individual particularities.
• It is limiting and prescriptive, stripping individuals of their unique richness.

Interactionist Theory

• Developed by Jean-René Ladmiral (French philosopher) and Edmond Marc Lipiansky (French psychologist).
• The theory was developed in 1989.
• Their work is titled "La communication interculturelle" (Intercultural Communication).
• Interactionism views the individual as an active actor interacting with social elements, not a passive agent.
• Individuals are seen as active and capable of interpreting cultural elements and codes for socialization.
• Culture is the product of co-construction through interactions between individuals and other members of society.

Theory of Cultural Diversity

• Cultural diversity as a political concept was adopted by UNESCO in 2001.
• UNESCO has a Convention on the Protection and Promotion of Cultural Expressions (2001, 2005).
• In Communication and Information Sciences (SIC), this concept is discussed by Françoise Benhamou, Joëlle Farchy, Tristan Mattelart, Armand Mattelart, etc.
• Cultural diversity is a polysemous and ambiguous concept.
• UNESCO (2001, 2005) defines cultural diversity as the variety of ways cultures express themselves.
• Joëlle Farchy (2013) defines cultural diversity as the coexistence of different communities within a society and respect for cultures.

Confronting Thesis of Cultural Diversity

• Two thesis confronts the topic of cultural diversity:
• Syncratism
• Eclecticism
• The syncratism says contemporary world is interconnection.
• There is no authentic culture.

Thesis of Syncratism

• Cultures are results of mixers and can only be hybrid, or syncritic (James Clifford, 1996)
• The eclecticism means to select elements from different cultures and appreciate them.
• Dialogue of cultures (Mattelart, 2007).
• Dialogue of cultures is a susceptible of favouring cultural diversity.

Theory of the "Clash of Civilizations"

• Founded by Samuel Huntington, an American political science professor.
• One of his major works is "The Clash of Civilizations."
• The central thesis describes a world divided into eight civilizations.
• Key factors will be culture and cultural identity.
• Cohesion, disintegration, and conflict make up new world.
• Civilizations are in opposition and confrontation.
• They do not dialogue, and are often in conflict.
• Civilizational conficts can lead to state conflicts.

Lecture on intercultural communication, specifically for Licence 1 INFO COM. This lecture covers the emergence context, obstacles, and theories of interculturality. It highlights the importance of understanding communication codes beyond just language proficiency.