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The chapter presents a meta-analysis of approaches to intercultural communication and education. Three different frameworks developed in the field are discussed: a modernist and essentialist view, a first postmodern and also distinctly post-colonial perspective, and a second postmodern account that focuses on intercultural communication through English as a lingua franca. By comparing systematically these different standpoints the chapter shows how interpretation impacts upon the entire research process, from theoretical choices over the identification of social domains and contexts as relevant for the extrapolation of data, to the selection of methodological instruments, the analysis of the data, and the promotion of particular pedagogic interventions on the basis of the results obtained. The overall objective of this chapter is to demonstrate that differences between views on intercultural communication can be traced back to decisions on these five distinct but interrelated levels. The proposed matrix, it is argued, allows a systematic comparison between different perspectives and can guide researchers, educators and students to a systematic scrutiny of assumptions underlying academic and educational practices in this field.

DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-9282-0_18

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