Co-Cultural Theory

Ashley Thomas
I. Introduction

A. Attention Getter: Robert Alan Silverstein, an American writer, artist, and social
activist, once stated, “Intercultural dialogue is the best guarantee of a more peaceful,
just, and sustainable world.” Interestingly, the development of formal intercultural
communication theories that help us to understand such dialogue only occurred less
than fifty years ago.
B. Background and Audience Relevance: As we learned in our culture and diversity
unit, and according to the Oxford English Dictionary, culture is "the distinctive ideas,
customs, social behavior, products, or way of life of a particular nation, society,
people, or period" (p. 137). In the 2005 book Theorizing about Intercultural
Communication, communication professors Tadasu Imahori and William Cupach
describe intercultural communication as an interaction among those from different
cultural groups. George Mason University's website reported in 2015 that The
Princeton Review named GMU “#1 in the nation for the ‘frequency and ease of
interaction among different racial/class groups.’”

C. Speaker Credibility: Since I am a communication major who will one day enroll in
our COMM 305: Foundations of Intercultural Communication course, I thought it
was important to share with you all what I have learned about an intercultural
communication theory known as co-cultural theory.

D. Thesis: Learning about co-cultural theory will help us to better understand the
communication strategies that marginalized groups use in intercultural interactions.

E. Preview of Main Points: First, I will discuss how intercultural communication

research and theory have evolved over the years. Second, I will explain co-cultural
theory. Lastly, I will provide a specific example of co-cultural theory.

Transition to first main point: Now, let us discuss how intercultural communication research and
theory have evolved.

II. Body
A. Main Point 1: Over the years, intercultural communication research has begun to
focus on popular culture, identity, globalization, and theory building.

1. Sub point 1: In 2002, communication professor Dreama Moon wrote a

chapter in the book Readings in Intercultural Communication:
Experiences and Contexts discussing how intercultural communication
research in the 1990s focused on popular culture, considering that the
media impacts how we view the world and its human interactions. Also,
in an interview with Dr. Adam Smith, a public relations consultant, held
on September 5, 2016, Smith stated that research from the early 2000s to
present has emphasized identity and globalization, which involves the
 impact of technology and international trade on the interaction and
integration of people and organizations from all over the world.
According to Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz, current Director of the Center for
Intercultural Dialogue at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, in the
October 2009 issue of the National Communication Association
magazine Spectra, recent research focuses on vocabulary needed for
intercultural dialogue and how to teach concepts helpful for such
dialogue.
2. Sub point 2: In 1990, Leeds-Hurwitz also writes in the scholarly journal
Quarterly Journal of Speech that it was not until the 1980s that
intercultural communication moved beyond simply providing concepts
and examples to using theory to study cultural phenomenon. In our
respective majors, it is important to understand what theories are, as they
guide much of the work we will do in our fields. An example of a lay
theory, or theory we use in our everyday lives, would be that people who
work hard succeed. Smith defined theory as a generalization used to
describe and predict phenomenon. However, a simple statement of
observation, such as "a majority of students in our class speak more than
one language," would not be an example of a theory, since it does not
predict or explain a phenomenon.

Transition: Since I have shared how intercultural communication research and theory evolved to
include popular culture, theory building, and more, I will now explain co-cultural theory.

B. Main Point 2: In 1996, communication professor Mark Orbe published his co-
cultural theory in the scholarly journal Communication Studies to describe the
ways in which members of co-cultures, or traditionally marginalized groups, such
as racial/ethnic minorities, women, and homosexuals, communicate in their
everyday lives with fellow group members and members of dominant groups.
1. Sub point 1: Co-cultural theory has several philosophical assumptions.
According to Orbe, there is a hierarchy of privilege in which the
dominant group has members in places of power who control
communication structures. In addition, Orbe notes that when public
communication forums do not reflect the lived experiences of co-cultural
groups, the dominant structure can hinder advancement of marginalized
cultures. Orbe also states that experiences with dominant structures
impact communication strategies of co-cultural members.
2. Sub point 2: According to Orbe, these strategies include preferred
outcomes and communication approaches. Orbe describes preferred
outcomes, which include accommodation, separation, and assimilation,
as well as communication approaches, which include nonassertive,
assertive, and aggressive communication. Orbe observes that
accommodation seeks to maintain some cultural variance while
changing existing dominant structures, separation involves the
preference of forming bonds with other marginalized communities
instead of the dominant group, and assimilation involves removing
 cultural distances in order to conform to the dominant society.
According to Orbe, nonassertive communication is non-confrontational
and puts others before oneself, assertive communication improves the
self while focusing on the concerns of both self and others, and
aggressive communication is more hostile and self-focused.

Transition: Now that we see how co-cultural theory explains the ways marginalized groups
communicate in dominant structures, I will provide you with an example of co-cultural theory.

C. Main Point 3: During my interview with Smith, I was able to see how aspects of
co-cultural theory appear in his response to unfair treatment in the workplace
based on his physical disability. 
1. Sub point 1: Smith shared with me that he has a hearing impairment.
Based on a hierarchy of privilege, nondisabled people typically
experience greater privilege than someone with a disability and can
control communication structures. As a result, Smith's employer did not
provide the technology or interpreters necessary for him to successfully
carry out his work duties. Since his work environment did not reflect the
lived experiences of his co-cultural group, Smith faced challenges in
moving up from an entry-level position to his goal of being an assistant
manager.
2. Sub point 2: Therefore, he decided to use assertive accommodation and
work with his nondisabled colleagues to make all employees feel
welcome. According to Smith, when some employees would make
derogatory comments about those with mental or physical disabilities, he
would educate them on appropriate ways to describe and address
members of his co-cultural group. Smith wanted people to see him and
his colleagues with disabilities as people first and not "the disabled man"
or "the handicapped woman." Eventually, Smith left the company to
work at a public relations consultant firm in support of businesses that
strive to be more inclusive of those with disabilities.

Transition and signal closing: Since we have addressed an example of co-cultural theory in the
context of the workplace, I would like to review what we have learned throughout this speech.

III. Conclusion
A. Restate Thesis: In conclusion, learning about co-cultural theory will help us to
better understand the communication strategies that marginalized groups use in
intercultural interactions.
B. Review Main Points: First, I discussed how intercultural communication
research and theory have evolved over the years. Second, I explained co-cultural
theory. Lastly, I provided a specific example of co-cultural theory.
C. Memorable Closer: All of us have the potential to be a part of at least one
marginalized group. While Robert Alan Silverstein may be right that intercultural
dialogue brings about hope for a better world, intercultural communication theory
 sheds light on how we can explain and predict the ways to effectively
communicate with others in so many aspects of our lives.

References

A. Smith, personal communication, September 5, 2016.

Culture. (n.d.). In Oxford English Dictionary online. Retrieved from

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/culture

George Mason University. (2015). Quick facts 2014-2015. Retrieved from

http://irr.gmu.edu/QuickFacts/QuickFact201415_Final.pdf

Imahori, T. T., & Cupach, W. R. (2005). Identity management theory. In W. Gudykunst (Ed.),

Theorizing about intercultural communication (pp. 195-210). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Leeds-Hurwitz, W. (1990). Notes in the history of intercultural communication: The foreign

service institute and the mandate for intercultural training. Quarterly Journal of Speech,

76(3), 262.

Leeds-Hurwitz, W. (2009). NCA's First International Conference a Great Success!. Spectra,

45(9), 10.

Moon, D. G. (2002). Thinking about "culture" in intercultural communication. In Martin, J. N.,

Nakayama, T. K., & Flores, L. A. (Eds.), Readings in intercultural communication:

Experiences and contexts (2nd ed.) (pp. 13-21). McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social

Sciences/Languages.

Orbe, M. P. (1996). Laying the foundation for co‐cultural communication theory: An inductive

approach to studying “non‐dominant” communication strategies and the factors that

influence them. Communication Studies, 47(3), 157-176.