The CATESOL Journal

Current conceptions of intercultural communication competence are extremely Eurocentric. More specifically, they affirm the U.S. American, white, middle class as the center or “ideal order”—the standard by which everyone else is judged and measured, and from which they are declared to deviate. This view of competence remains hegemonic in current research and pedagogy. The purpose of this essay is to create a space for dialogue so that scholars and practitioners can begin to reflect, challenge, and interrogate current conceptions of intercultural communication competence. To do so, I first propose that much of the current field of intercultural communication might be viewed as encounters with the “Other.” Second, I identify, discuss, and illustrate the typical components of intercultural communication competence in the current research literature. Next, I turn to examine critical issues that, in my view, should be included in (re)conceptualizations of intercultural competence. I conclude by exploring potentially non-Eurocentric ways of conceptualizing competence in intercultural settings.