NIC Conference 2018 Copenhagen – Remarks: Multiple Belongings and 21st Century Intercultural Communication.

I will put the text further ‘’in my way’’, only those presentations that I attended and ‘’how I understood’’ without referringto anyone following the Chatham house rules. Here we go;

I would like to notice that, there were several things made this conference special. Such as:

1.   Sustainability considerations: we had our own glasses, a pencil, and non-plastic bag.

2.    The conference was more like dialogical. Ten-minute presentation and twenty-minute discussion possibility.

3.    No more long introductions to Keynote speakers.

4.   Acknowledging the media as an important player. Media is creating strong public discourses and becoming more and more interconnected with ICC.

Last 25 years, NIC had at least some sort of concentration/discussion on Intercultural Communication (ICC) from a national perspective, but now we talk more about ICC from the point of multiple belongings.

Nation and social groups were mostly in the past, but these are no more what we are talking about today.

In 1990’s, ICC was predictable…

Remember the high and low context communication of Hall 1976:91.  Example of the twins attitude towards each other (not asking so many details, since they know eachother and know what one means), or the Japanese tea ceremonies where participants understand the behavior patterns without many talks etc…

Moreover, it is good that we had some perspective changing papers such as Halualani, Rona Tamiko, S. 2009, Critical Junctures in IC studies, a reviewof communication.

In addition, Dreams Moon who called questioning:Which interests does this definition of culture favour?

Cultures are no longer seen as a neutral or non-problematic side for sharing among members of a culture.

And, the journey of ICC, starting to cross the borders of its discipline to redefine itself.

As always, we have to talk about the problem of ICC ‘’competence’’. Why we need to agree on some keywords like competence and leading others for competence. Why we need this? Yes, we need the knowledge ofculture and cultures but from what perspective we look at it?

Spoken out opinions were very critical to ICC‘Competence’. Heavy discussions on how we do ICC competence & training…

‘’We will have a middle-class ICC competent people and we will have those who do not have’’!

Here is a little test for Interculturalists:

Reading the sentences below, please guess to whom which sentences belong. To Chinese student or to Danish student?

1.How long is your history?

2.Do your family talk while eating?

3.Do you have punishments at your school?

4.Do you agree with gay?

5.Have you decided on your own career?

If you know the answer, please write into the comment section. 🙂

 End of part one.                                                               29.11.2018