An Examination of Stories: How Cross-Cultural Communication Might Lead to Healthier Relationships and Peace across Cultures: A Case Study

Abstract

This study explored the seldom-analyzed topic of cross-cultural communication in rural areas of the Midwestern United States. Researchers asked Mid-westerners from the dominant culture to tell stories of their experiences with people from other cultures and how they felt about people from diverse backgrounds. Stories were vital to this study. People live storied lives that describe the human experience. Researchers attempted to assess the participant’s experiences by critically examining their stories. Researchers examined the data using a structural framework that emphasized work in sociology, education, and the social sciences as well as theoretical perspectives rooted in critical theory and analysis, conflict theory and theories of enculturation and acculturation. Story transcripts were analyzed several times throughout the coding and categorization data process. Three specific influences: social stratification, media, and social pressures heavily influenced three emotional responses: fear, sensitivity and regret in participants shared interactions with people from other different cultures. The goal of this study was to critically examine the views and experiences of the dominant culture regarding cross-cultural communication with the assumption that more crosscultural communication may lead to healthier relationships and peace across cultures.