Intercultural Communication

Rona Tamiko Halualani is a professor of intercultural communication at San José State University. Dr. Halualani is the author of In the Name of Hawaiians: Native Identities and Cultural Politics, the co-editor (with Dr. Thomas K. Nakayama) of the Handbook of Critical Intercultural Communication, and the former editor-in-chief of the Journal of International and Intercultural Communication. She teaches courses on intercultural communication, critical intercultural communication, globalized intercultural communication, and culture and gender identity.

Halualani's Intercultural Communication completes the evolution of critical thinking in foundational learnings of the subject. From candid narratives to simplified models in understanding culture, the text offers students what they need to enact change and spark action locally and nationally.Thinking critically is a large component of the course I teach. [I chose Halualani's text because] I wanted to provide my students with a deeper understanding for intercultural communication, beyond the standard culture, power, identity theories. My students need the critical thinking skills to develop solutions and provide answers for today's most important issues facing communities across the nation.This text is current and most needed for today's discussions about intercultural justice and how to develop solutions in real-time by utilizing academic models. … Halualani constructed a well-executed and beautifully researched text. I will continue supporting her work." —Veronica Appleton, Adjunct Faculty, DePaul University"This textbook is AWESOME (for lack of a better academic term). … This is the first textbook that I truly LOVE and enjoy—I can't say that about any other textbook. I also appreciate the resources that Halualani has put together for instructors. They are brilliant and it shows through this work.It is the only textbook that I have been able to find that takes a critical approach to intercultural communication and does so in a way that is easy to unpack and understand. A textbook can't do it all, that's why we have teachers, but it is a great tool in getting the conversations started and asking students to do the big cognitive lift and engage in deep self-reflection that is necessary for understanding and participating in dialogue with people amongst differences." —Lindsey Ayotte, Associate Professor of Language Arts, Skyline College"Professor Halualani has created the textbook that we needed! It's a text that no longer serves the interest of dominant hegemonic forces that would utilize the Intercultural course as an extension to reinforce problematic values, attitudes, and beliefs about our global community." —Joquina M. Reed, Instructor and Director of Forensics, Department of Communication Studies, Louisiana State University"This textbook is a 'must-use text' for those teaching an intercultural communication course. The focus on the critical approach and power dynamics in intercultural communication make it an invaluable resource." —Patrick Shaou-Whea Dodge, Associate Professor of Communication, University of Colorado Denver, International College Beijing"I am very pleased with all the pedagogical elements in the text. My perception is that she writes with a 'student-centric' lens. … I like the student vignettes at the beginning of each chapter. I think students can relate to the experiences of the students. In addition, it provides the reader with the complex and nuanced communication challenges we face on a daily basis AND then provides the deeper understanding and constructs that help students learn more clearly WHY and HOW these types of interactions occur." —Tina Kistler, Tenured Professor, Course Director for Intercultural Communication, Santa Barbara City College"The best intercultural textbook out right now. Focuses on how structural dimensions of power are always at hand within intercultural communication." —Erik Johnson, Associate Professor, Stetson University"[The textbook] centers the critical perspective. It does so in a way that acknowledges the challenges of naming and confronting power and supports students by acknowledging resistance and providing conceptual tools for critique. It is also engaging, with plenty of colorful pictures and engaging narratives." —Sara DeTurk, Professor of Communication, University of Texas at San Antonio"This book is needed and important. Keep up the good work!" —Robert Razzante, Instructional Professional, Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University