A Critical Perspective is grounded in a framework based on key dimensions of power in relation to intercultural communication. A macro-micro focus is applied throughout the book to theorize the ways in which larger structures of power intermingle and reconfigure private/one-on-one encounters and relations between different cultures, both domestically and internationally. The textbook introduces students to both the hidden and visible aspects of power that constitute intercultural communication encounters and relations.

The book begins by introducing the concept of intercultural communication and demonstrating how ubiquitous it is in our everyday lives. Subsequent chapters address the ties between culture, power, and intercultural communication; how powerful ideologies develop from cultural views and ways of life; and the interplay of cultural representation and speaking for or about a cultural group. Students learn the ways in which individuals and structures of power shape identity, how different structures and groups remember and forget the past, and how racialization relates to intercultural communication. The final chapters explore power dynamics with regard to globalization, intercultural relationships and desire, and our roles in intercultural communication.

The second edition features new and updated research studies and illustrative examples throughout. Every chapter has a new narrative opening, introducing new identity positionalities and characters located in different cultural contexts, and connecting to the ACT Framework for Intercultural Justice to highlight agency, resistance, and structural change.