Intercultural Communication

While working in a global market, inter cultural communication plays a pivotal role in a business perspective as well in a social framework. The readings from week 2, 3, 4 and 5 brought the concepts of globalization, otherization, identity and representation that help us understand the importance of communication while working in a project, doing a thoughtful exploration on something that is different to us and connect effectively with people from various cultures. Individually, these concepts aided me in the Erics's case study of observing the groups with the context of otherization, identity and representation. With these concepts we could be able to look in to the group conversation, where group members were communicating cross culturally, examine how members formed their own distinct identity and how their communication sometime impedes their design work. 'Foreign' Other The 'foreign other' can be viewed as a person segregated from the society he is living in based on the differences in language, religion, culture, or the skin tone. The person is labeled as 'other' when he does not comply with the norms of the society. Media also plays major role in creating impressions of foreign other. I take an example of 9/11 tragedy during which media has done enough damage to the muslims through repetitive images and stories that influenced people's impressions on muslims that effect many muslims across the globe. They were labeled as 'other' which was a hindrance to survival to many muslims. There were lot muslims who even came up with slogan "I am muslim but not terrorist" to convey to the world that all muslims are not terrorists.