The history connection
- 1. The History / Intercultural Communication Connection
- 2. Do we need to change our perspective of history?Americans ignore history, for to them everything has always seemed new under the sun. The national myth is that of creativity and progress, of a steady climbing upward into power and prosperity, both for the individual and for the country as a whole. Americans see history as a straight line and themselves standing at the cutting edge of it as representatives for all mankind. They believe in the future as if it were a religion; they believe that there is nothing they cannot accomplish, that solution wait somewhere for all problems.
- 3. The Grand NarrativeThe grand narrative is a unified history and view of humankind. The grand narrative organizes history into an understandable story which makes certain assumptions, such as:Development in Science, medicine & education would lead to progress and better life. The grand narrative dominated how people saw the past, present and future.The grand narrative is being constantly challenged.
- 4. Transitioning from History to Histories“To understand the dialectics (the reconciliation of logic and conflict) in everyday interaction ,we need to think about the many histories that help form our different identities” (Martin & Nakayama, 2010, p. 123).
- 5. Our Many HistoriesTo understand culture, we need to understand the following types of history:Political History : history connected to political eventsIntellectual History : history relating the development of ideasSocial History : history focusing on everyday experiencesFamily History : history of familiesNational History : knowledge based on past events influencing a countries Cultural Group History : history of a cultural group within a nationRacial & Ethnic History : histories specific to a racial or ethnic groupGender & Sexual Orientation History : history of sex and genderDiasporic History : history of displaced peoples
- 6. The Absent HistoryWhat about histories from marginalized groups, such as the American slaves?Absent histories are the histories not recorded or that are missing.Absent history is a result of concealing the past. It is the decision of the powerful to withhold the information, past and present.
- 7. History and Identity are ConnectedOur identity is connected to our histories. Yet, some of our identities come from hidden histories.Hidden Histories are forgotten or neglected from mainstream history and their representations of the past.
- 8. Intercultural Communication and History ConnectionTo understand specific relationships in communication and history, one must understand the following concepts:Antecedents of ContractThe Contact HypothesisApplication of the Dialectical Perspective
- 9. Antecedents of ContractsWhen we communicate, we need to understand that we bring our individual histories with us. These personal histories involve our experiences and attitudes. Such as:Childhood ExperiencesHistorical MythsThe language we speak influences our interactions.Current Events
- 10. The Contact HypothesisThe contact hypothesis is the notion that better communication between groups of people is facilitated simply by bringing them together and allowing them to interact.While history does not support this hypothesis, many public policies—both national & international—support this hypothesis.There are conditions which may exist to support this hypothesis, for further reading check the Martin & Nakayama text pages 149-150.
- 11. Application of the Dialectical PerspectiveTo negotiate our intercultural interactions, we need to take into account the following:We all have our own historiesWe should understand the role history takes in our identitiesThen we acknowledge the tensions we may experience in our different histories and identities.
- 12. ReferencesMartin, J.N. & Nakayama, T.K. (2010). Intercultural Communication in Contexts, 10 ed. New York: McGraw Hill.