Intercultural communication research finds its roots primarily in anthropology, psychology, and sociology. However, many intercultural communication scholars draw mostly from a relatively recent body of work. Intercultural Communication represents both the classic works that set the foundation for the field as well as the more recent influential works. The volumes examine a wider and more interdisciplinary range of literature that has influenced this field.



Volume I includes writings that provide the foundation for the emergent study of intercultural communication. The literature in this volume represents foundational works on culture and communication related to social structure, role, world view, meaning, interaction, and exchange. Although intercultural communication researchers use a variety of theories from various fields of study, in all only about 20 theories are associated specifically with intercultural communication; Volume II provides the most informative research related to these theories. Volume III covers literature related to both established and emerging methodological approaches for studying intercultural communication. Volume IV looks at the factors that affect how cultures' communicate and diffuse information across cultural boundaries. These factors include urbanization; immigration; availability of media and transportation systems; and religious and ethnic identities.