Introduction
An increased pace of globalization particularly since the last quarter of the twentieth century has reaffirmed the inevitable need for all societies across the globe to interact and relate well with other people of different cultures (Justen, 2009, p.12). The Asian societies such as Saudi Arabia, which hitherto have been relatively closed to the outside world despite the fact that they were colonized by the Western colonial powers, have not been spared by the intensified wave of globalization. Within the Saudi Arabian society, globalization has mothered the need to communicate with international visitors among the Saudi citizens (Azhar, 2011, Para. 1). There is, therefore, a research gap on the challenges that may hamper Saudis desire to communicate well with global visitors. The urgency of this form of research study is compounded by the fact that the majority of Saudis can speak and write in their native Arabic language only. Furthermore, majority of Saudis are, until now, Islamic conservatives who may find pressure to maintain cultural purity especially from the intolerant Islamic clergy, which is an enormous challenge to their desire to communicate with global visitors (Albughuli, 2011, p.13).
The aim of this research
Communication is essential for successful and satisfying public, interpersonal and now global interactions (Wertheim, 2008, p.1). This reality has necessitated the need to acquire and put into practice vital communication skills in a world that is increasingly socio-economically, politically, and culturally globalized. The purpose of this research study is to:
- Explore Saudi citizens desire to communicate with international visitors
- To measure the level of ethnocentrism which may affect their ability to communicate well with people from other cultures and
- To find out social, political, cultural and technological challenges that may hinder the Saudis’ desire to communicate with global visitors.
Literature review
Since time immemorial, inherent interdependence resulting from limitations of people’s homeland environments and other factors such as population increase, natural calamities and technological progress has made interaction across local and national boundaries inevitable. In the past, even neighbouring protagonist communities would establish peaceful zones, which both sides guarded where they would trade and engage in other social activities like fighting games, conduct ceremonies, and hear cases involving parties from either side. This explains the prevalent trend of cultural borrowing that is evident throughout the history of mankind.
Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism has been a fundamental human problem throughout the history of humanity. Currently, it is certainly one of the main stumbling blocks towards the realization of a peaceful and united world despite an accelerated tempo of globalization. It is, in fact, one of the main root causes of hostility, hatred and the resultant civil wars in various developing countries across the world. Selfish, power-hungry politicians in these countries exacerbate ethnocentric predispositions of largely ignorant and illiterate citizens from their tribal communities thereby causing lethal civil upheavals, which have left hundreds of thousands of innocent women, children, and men dead, displaced and without a future. At the international arena, ethnocentrism informs the prevalent cultural clash which is a real threat to international peace, security and unity. What is ethnocentrism?
Ethnocentrism refers to an individual’s inclination to believe that his or her cultural or ethnic group is more valuable, and that other ethnic groups are supposed to be gauged in relation to one’s ethnic group (Dong, 2003, p.2). Ethnocentric persons judge other people from different ethnic groups relative to their own ethnic or cultural group particularly on issues related to language, religion, customs, and behaviour (Andersen & Taylor, 2005, p.67). In a typical society, these ethnic identities and features are used to define each ethnic group’s distinct cultural identity (Andersen & Taylor, 2005, p.67). According to Pedersen (1999, p.64), ethnocentrism is an inborn human inclination. Triandis, cited in Pedersen (1999, p.64), points out that, all human beings are naturally ethnocentric, even though, some are more ethnocentric than others particularly those who have not experienced another culture. Triandis argues that, since most people know their culture only, it is natural that they take it as a yardstick against which to evaluate others.
Ethnocentric perception hinders an individual or group from comprehending the world as it is experienced by other people. This leads to narrow-minded conclusions about the significance of cultural diversity. Contrary to popular believe that only large ethnic groups are ethnocentric, any societal group including racial minority groups can be ethnocentric when they believe that their culture is superior to others (Barger, 2008, Para. 2). In short, any group that views the world only from its standpoint partakes in ethnocentrism.
Several negative effects result from widespread and instituted ethnocentrism at the national and international levels. Even though ethnocentrism establishes a strong sense of group unity, it also discourages inter-group or interethnic understanding since it fosters a dialectical sense of superiority (Andersen & Taylor, 2005, p.67). For instance, nationalist or tribal groups are highly exclusionary and tend to reject others who do not share their cultural experience and believes that other cultures are inferior (Andersen & Taylor, 2005, p.67). When taken to the extremes upon which tribal and national movements are based ethnocentrism leads to evident socio-political conflict, terrorism, war and genocide or mass killing of a group based on their belonging to a given ethnic group. The 1994 Rwanda genocide is a case in point. Over 800,000 people (mainly the minority Tutsi) were butchered over a short period of 100 days. Ethnocentrism is also the cause of regional and international terrorism which is based on an unfounded strong belief in the purity of a person’s religious faith. In a nutshell, various forms of ethnocentrism such as prejudiced nationalism and religious ethnocentrism have caused many of the wars of the modern world affairs (Andersen & Taylor, 2005, p.68).
More often than not ethnocentrism and cultural diversity work hand in hand in putting up perceived dissimilarity. Dissimilarity breeds conflict, which in turn, culminates in to negative stereotypes. As a result, people experience culture shock and feel unfriendliness toward the other allegedly different group. In this case, ethnocentrism results to intensified cultural distance, cultural misunderstandings and unfounded stereotyping (Barger, 2008, Para. 9; Dong, 2003, p.3).
Intercultural willingness to communicate
Perhaps the only main positive outcome related to ethnocentrism is its role as an antecedent towards loyalty and willingness of an individual to sacrifice for his or her outstanding group especially in times of hardship like invasion by enemies (Lin & Rancer, 2001, p.63). However, evidence available shows that it largely leads to misunderstanding and decreased extents of intercultural-willingness-to-communicate, especially in multiethnic societies (Dong, 2003, p.3). Intercultural willingness to communicate, (IWTC), refers to an individual’s tendency to initiate intercultural communication incidents (Lin & Rancer, 2003, p.196). This concept is related to the notion of willingness to communicate (WTC) even though the two ideas are conceptually distinct. WTC is defined as one’s predisposition to start communication in meetings with others intercultural, when the person is utterly free to choose whether to communicate or not (Dong, 2003, p.3). In short, WTC refers to an individual’s willingness to communicate with strangers, acquaintances and friends in different settings like public, meeting, and groups among others. On the other hand, IWTC concerns one’s willingness to initiate communication with persons from different cultures and races (Kassing, 1997, p.400: Lin, Rancer, & Lim, 2006, p.125). Even though it has been established that a person’s willingness to communicate reduces as the receiver becomes more distant, people’s overall inclinations towards initiating communication remain constant across different audiences and contexts (Kassing, 1997, p.400; Mcculloch, 2002.p.25).
An individual, who is poor in willingness to communicate within his or her own culture, may also be low in IWTC. However, an individual high in WTC may or may not necessarily be high in IWTC (Kassing, 1997, p.400). In other words, there is a possibility that a person who easily starts communication within his or her culture is shy to initiate communication in intercultural set ups.
Studies by scholars such as Chen and Starosta have shown that intercultural communication sensitivity is necessary for intercultural communication ability (Chen & Starosta, 2004, p.12). Hence, as a person’s intercultural communication sensitivity rises; his or her capability in intercultural communication gets higher (Dong, 2003, p.3). These studies also show that people from different cultures are different in terms of their inclinations towards starting intercultural communication (Kassing, 1997, p.399). Currently, individuals must develop their intercultural communication capability because virtually every one comes across intercultural situations every day in almost all places be it at home, school, social gatherings and places of work. The Saudis should, therefore, develop their intercultural communication capabilities or competence to realize their desire to communicate with international visitors.
Intercultural communication competence has two main requirements namely; intercultural communication sensitivity and intercultural communication awareness (Chen & Starosta, 2004, p.13). Intercultural communication sensitivity is connected to various behavioural, cognitive and affective elements of a person’s interactions with others. Intercultural communication sensitivity centres on a person’s emotional capabilities like managing and controlling emotions (Dong, 2003, p.4; Hogg & Ridgeway, 2003, p.99). Cultural awareness offers the basis for intercultural communication sensitivity, which in turn, enhances an individual’s intercultural communication competence (Chen & Starosta, 2004, p.13). Evidence available has shown that persons with high intercultural communication sensitivity perform excellently in intercultural communication set ups (Peng, 2006, p.42). An individual can comprehend communication behaviour of other people from within and without his or her culture by acquiring concrete knowledge of communication qualities and tendencies of the individuals. (Infante & Rancer, 1996, p.326). Communication tendencies in intercultural communication have been classified as verbal aggressiveness, argumentativeness, ethnocentrism, communication apprehension, and willingness to communicate (Burroughs & Marie, 1990, p.142; Neuliep & Ryan, 1998, p.93; Avtgis & Rancer, 2002, p.192; Roach & Olaniran, 1999, p.27). According to Lin, Rancer, and Lim (2006, p.117), two main communication tendencies namely, ethnocentrism and intercultural willingness to communicate, impact a person’s intentions to initiate communication with people from different cultures.
Theoretical framework
This study will use interpretivism theoretical approach also referred to as the interpretive, interpretative or interpretive approach. This approach is suitable since it focuses on human beings and the way they understand and interpret reality (Holloway, 1997, p.93). Through this approach, the researcher shall view those taking part in the study, not as individual identities that exist in isolation, but in the complete context of their lives. Therefore, the study will focus upon Saudis desire to communicate with international visitors within the complete context of their lives in Riyadh community and not as individual citizens existing in a vacuum. That is why this study specifically aims at determining the levels of ethnocentrism, which may impede the Saudis’ desire to communicate well and meaningfully with people from other cultures around the world.
Since this research study aims to understand the Saudis’ desire to communicate with global visitors and find out the extent to which ethnocentrism may hinder their ability to communicate with people from other cultures, data will be collected in a natural setting, that is, Riyadh. Collecting data within a natural setting will enable the researcher to understand Saudis experience within the full context of their lives. It is pertinent to note that, people’s perception and experiences of the study’s phenomenon of interest are tied to the context of their daily lives (Maykut & Morehouse, 1997, p.45; Marshall & Rossman, 2010, p.93; Gravetter & Forzano, 2008, p.495). Therefore, in a qualitative research study like this one it is in a natural setting that a researcher is most likely to find out and reveal what is understandable about a chosen topic of interest. Furthermore, this study will use purposive sampling to ensure that participants selected will broaden variability of the samples (Merriam, 2009, p.266; Babbie, 2010, p.119). Since the research study is interested in exploring Saudis desire to communicate with international visitors, it shall sample individual participants in Riyadh from different walks of life. For instance, there can be sample sets of participants, who are literate, semi-illiterate and/or illiterate. The study can also design sample sets of participants from different socioeconomic strata of this society. Doing so will ensure that variability, which is common in social phenomena like the one targeted by this study, is reflected in the data collected.
Conclusion
Given the current pace of globalization that is sweeping across the globe, which is driven by various economic, political, cultural, and technological factors, virtually, all societies must acquire and put into practice relevant intercultural communication capabilities. Relatively, conservative societies like Saudi Arabia encounter greater challenges in their efforts to open up and appreciate global interaction based on effective communication with people of different cultures. This research study is thus timely and relevant in that, it will explore the Saudis’ desire to communicate with international visitors to find out the extent to which ethnocentrism may hinder their desire to converse with global visitors. It shall also find out other social, political and cultural challenges that may hamper Saudis desire to communicate with international visitors. Through an interpretive approach within a natural setting, the researcher will seek to understand the phenomenon of interest from Saudis point of view. Knowledge generated by this study will help players in various sectors including education, tourism and media in coming up with measures that can be used to minimize negative aspects of ethnocentrism, which is a serious stumbling block to intercultural communication and interaction.
References
Albughuli, M. (2011). Exploring Motivations and Values for Domestic Travel from an Islamic and Arab Standpoint: The Case of Saudi Arabia. Web.
Andersen, M. L., & Taylor, H. F. (2005). Sociology: understanding a diverse society. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.
Avtgis, T. A., & Rancer, A. S. (2002).Aggressiveness communication across cultures: A comparison of aggressive communication among the United States, New Zealand, and Australia. Journal of international Communication research, 31(6), 191-200.
Azhar, H. (2011). Saudi Arabia is no longer ‘foreign’ to me. The Saudi. Web.
Babbie, E. (2010). The Basics of Social Research. London: New York, NY: Cengage Learning.
Barger, K. (2008). Ethnocentrism. Web.
Burroughs, N.F., & Marie, V. (1990). Communication Orientations of Micronesian and American Students. Communication Research Reports, 7,139-146.
Chen, G. M., & Starosta, W. J. (2004). Communication among cultural diversities: A Communication Anxiety in International Teaching Assistants. Communication research reports, 18, 26-35.
Dong, Q., Day, K. D., & Collaço, C. M. (2003). Overcoming Ethnocentrism through Developing Intercultural Communication Sensitivity and Multiculturalism. The Pacific and Asian Communication Association. 11(1), 27 – 38.
Gravetter, F. J., & Forzano, L. B. (2008). Research Methods for the Behavioural Sciences. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.
Hogg, M. A., & Ridgeway, C. L. (2003). Social identity: Sociological and social Psychological perspectives. Social Psychology Quarterly, 66, 97-100.
Holloway, I. (1997). Basic concepts for qualitative research. London: Wiley-Blackwell.
Infante, D.A., & Rancer, A. S. (1999).Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness. A Review of Recent Theory and Research. In B. Burleson (ed.).Communication Yearbook 19 (pp. 319-351).Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Justen, J. (2009). Ethnocentrism, Intercultural Interaction and U.S. College Students Intercultural Communicative Behaviours: An Exploration of Relationships. Web.
Kassing, J. W. (1997). Development of the Intercultural Willingness to Communicate Scale. Communication research reports, 14,399-407.
Lin, Y., & Rancer, A. S. (2001). Ethnocentrism, Intercultural Communication Apprehension, Intercultural Willingness-to-Communicate, and Intentions to Participation an Intercultural Dialogue Program: Testing a Proposed Model. Communication research reports, 20, 62-72.
Lin, Y., & Rancer, A. S. (2003). Sex differences in intercultural communication apprehension, ethnocentrism and intercultural willingness to communicate. Psychological Reports, 92,195-200.
Lin, Y., Rancer, A. S., & Lim, S. (2006).Ethnocentrism and Intercultural willingness to Communicate: A cross-cultural comparison between Korean and American Students. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 32,117-128.
Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. (2010). Designing Qualitative Research. New York, NY: SAGE.
Maykut, P., & Morehouse, R. (1994). Beginning Qualitative research: A philosophical and Practical Guide. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis Group.
Mcculloch, K. M. (2002). Family communication influences on high school students Attitudes toward intercultural communication: directions for education and research. Web.
Merriam, S. (2009). Qualitative research: a guide to design and implementation. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.
Neuliep, J. W., & Ryan, D. J. (1998).The Influence of intercultural communication Apprehension and socio-communicative orientation on uncertainty reduction during initial cross-cultural interaction. Communication Quarterly, 46, 88-99.
Pedersen, P. (1999). Multiculturalism as a fourth force. New York, NY: Psychology Press.
Peng, S. (2006). A comparative perspective of intercultural sensitivity between college Students and multinational employees in China. Multicultural Perspectives, 8(3), 38-45.
Roach. D., & Olaniran, B. A. (1999). Intercultural Willingness to Communicate and Communication Anxiety in International Teaching Assistants. Web.
Wertheim, E. G. (2008).The Importance of Effective Communication. Web.