This introductory article examines how the papers in this special issue of "Language and Intercultural Communication" illustrate some of the many controversies relating to the immersion of the ever-increasing number of Hispanics into American culture, covering topics such as Spanish/English codeswitching, Spanglish, the varieties of…

Higher education (HE) student mobility offers the opportunity to acquire, among other things, intercultural experience. Nevertheless, it is crucial to prepare students and give them the tools to reflect on their experiences before, during and after study abroad. In this pedagogical paper, we present and discuss "Perceptions of self and…

Much of the work in intercultural communication studies in the past decade, especially in the field of applied linguistics, has been devoted to "disinventing" the notion of culture. The problem with the word "culture" as it has been used in anthropology, sociology, and in everyday life, it has been pointed out, is that it is…

The paper discusses an Oral History project undertaken from 2009 to 2012 in Cyprus. As Cyprus is a politically volatile and geographically divided country with a Turkish-Cypriot north and a Greek-Cypriot-dominated south, this project attempted to show ways in which the two sides might be able to re-approach each other by claiming a common past. It…

Against a backdrop of rapid global transformations, the ever-increasing migration of people across nation-state borders and a wide array of language practices, applied linguists, and language and intercultural communication researchers in particular, often include identity as a key construct in their work. Most adopt a broadly poststructuralist…

The assumption that each culture has its own distinctive identity has been generally accepted in the discussion of cultural identities. Quite often identity formation is not perceived as a dynamic and interactive ongoing process that engages other cultures and involves change in its responses to different challenges at different times. I will…

This article looks at a year-long network-based exchange between two groups of student-teachers in Spain and the USA, who were involved in various network-based collaborative activities as part of their teaching education. Their online interaction was facilitated through diverse communicative modes such as Skype, Moodle, Voicethread and Second…

In this article, I try to further develop my notion of the "transculturing self." Firstly, I discuss Nietzsche's positions on "self" and "subject," arguing for the idea that "there is no self." Hence, I try to show that "identity" is the outcome of a (co-)construction originating in the circumstance that each individual needs to meet external…

The writings of Indians in English provide a rich ground to explore the ways in which travellers and migrants from India to England relate to the realities of the place and to their place in it. Language and the literary education that characterised English education in India during colonial times play an important role in the construction of…

While much of the work in language testing is concerned with constructing quality tests in order to measure language knowledge in reliable and valid ways, there has been a significant movement in language testing research that examines tests in the context of their use in education and society. This line of research exits from the notion that…

English language education is in the process of change regarding teacher identity and the ownership of English. Cultural issues are implicated in this change. Critical cosmopolitan approaches in the social sciences are critiquing the primacy of national cultures which they consider a Western imposition on the emergent identities of the Periphery.…

Learning new languages potentially gives people vital skills to build more successful relationships, and understanding the social influences at work today may help us to know which type of language education is most beneficial. This article explores three social influences--globalisation, localisation and glocalisation--from the perspective of…

This paper discusses ways in which theatre practices reflect the dynamics of historical development seen from the perspective of transculturation (Epstein, 1995). The analysis is centred on modes of appropriation of Shakespeare and Chekhov in Denmark. The argument relies on a broader statistical investigation into repertoire development, but…

Apache Indian's spectacular performance of the identity of "Jamaican" dancehall DJ exemplifies the problematic politics of acculturation in "postcolonial" Britain. Born in the Handsworth district of Birmingham, a major centre of Caribbean and South Asian migration, this multilingual, border-crossing, urban youth appropriates…

Europe can become "united in diversity" only by helping its citizens internalise experientially their composite cultural identity as Europeans. Merely conceptual "understanding" of the other cultures is insufficient to promote genuine mutual respect and real opportunities for synergy across frontiers. An example is given of how…