Non-Western Perspectives on Human Communication : Implications for Theory and Practice

What it means to be a self - and a self communicating and being in a particular culture - are key issues interwoven throughout Min-Sun Kim′s impressive text, Non-Western Perspectives on Human Communication. Going beyond cultural descriptions or instructions on adapting to specific cultures, the author interrogates the very core assumptions underlying the study of human communication and challenges longstanding individualistic, Western models on which much intercultural research is based. Kim proposes a non-western way of conceptualizing identity, or the "self" - the cornerstone of cultural research -- illuminating how traditional western and non-western views can be blended into a broader, more realistic understanding of cultures and communication. Grounding her work in a thorough knowledge of the literature, she challenges students and researchers alike to reexamine their approach to intercultural study.

• Interrogates embedded assumptions about the traditional [Western] study of human communication with stunning, thought-provoking insight

• Illuminates issues surrounding culture and identity formation and challenges the reader to examine not only the study of human communication, but its engagement in everyday life
• Informs complex academic theory with stellar writing, poignant examples, and careful analysis

• Invites scholars and students to explore and integrate a long overdue multicultural perspective on human communication.

Min-Sun Kim (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is Professor in the Department of Speech at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Her research focus is the role of cognition in conversational styles among people of different cultural orientations. She is currently serving as an Associate Editor for Communication Reports and also as a reviewer for various communication journals.