Interpersonal communication: qualities and culture

Abstract

This essay introduces a special issue of the Russian Journal of Communication on “New Directions in Russian Interpersonal Communication Research”. The essay includes a brief overview of the field of interpersonal communication and discussion of a component often absent from its conceptualization, culture. The authors offer a new way of treating interpersonal communication, focusing on the situated study of interactional forms, structures, their cultural functions and meanings. Synopses of the five articles in the special issue are given, with these used to illustrate distinctive features of Russian interpersonal communication in some scenes and how interpersonal communication is culturally patterned and shaped.

Keywords:

• interpersonal communication
• culture
• Russia
• ethnography of communication
• cultural discourse analysis

Notes

Work of this nature, however, is on the rise. See, for example, work in the ethnography of communication (e.g. Carbaugh, 1996, 2002; Covarrubias, 2002; Fitch, 1998; Goldsmith & Baxter, 1996; Katriel & Philipsen, 1981; Poutiainen, 2005; Scollo, 2007; Scollo & Poutiainen, 2006; Tanamura, 2001) as well as recent volumes dedicated to interpersonal communication, relationships and culture (Gudykunst & Ting-Toomey, 1988; Gudykunst, Ting-Toomey, & Nishida, 1996; Monaghan & Goodman, 2007).

See, however, Bolden (2008), Carbaugh (1993, 2005), Leontovich (2003a, 2003b, 2003c), Remennick (2009) and Romanov (2007a, 2007b, 2007c, 2008, 2009a, 2009b). We would also like to point out that communication studies is not a recognized field or degree in the Russian higher educational system; therefore, work on Russian “interpersonal communication” may not be called as such and may be conducted under areas such as linguistics, pedagogy, philosophy and psychology. The Russian Communication Association is currently trying to converge researchers in these areas to develop a common vocabulary for the study of interpersonal communication. We are grateful to Olga Leontovich for sharing this information.