ABSTRACT This paper considers the possibilities for re-thinking current intercultural communication frameworks for human-more than human relationships. Drawing on stories of nature-connection for wellbeing gathered from several diverse communities in a multicultural region of the UK, the article uses ethnographically-informed mediated discourse analysis to reflect on how we can learn from these stories a) as stories in themselves, b) in relation to the sophisticated work from across the globe on human-nature relationships, c) the implications for decentring the human in Intercultural Communication Studies; and d) the possibilities for re-designing the notion (and frameworks) of intercultural competence under an ecological turn.

ABSTRACT Francia Elena Márquez Mina has emerged as a key social and political figure for marginalized voices in Colombia, advocating for environmental, gender, social, and racial justice. This research analyses her Facebook and Instagram posts and visuals from April 2021 to November 2022, during her transition from activist to candidate to vice president. The study uses content and visual analysis to explore how Márquez Mina connects her intersectional identities with environmental care, emphasizing cultural heritage, social justice, and connective activism. The findings show she links marginalized groups to environmental activism, highlighting solidarity and calls for empowerment while framing her advocacy through a strong sense of community and shared responsibility.

ABSTRACT Intercultural communication theories are often limited by deficit-framing that foregrounds conflict, crisis, and distress. This article introduces a positive communication ontology to partially redress this limitation. A positive communication ontology is an asset-based approach foregrounding positive communication and broadening intercultural theorizing to include multiple ways of knowing and being that promote intercultural flourishing. After offering a brief historical backdrop, this article defines a positive communication ontology and explores implications for intercultural communication training. Finally, this article uses Hecht’s communication theory of identity and Kim’s integrative theory of communication and cross-cultural adaptation to demonstrate how this approach can extend classical and current theorizing.

ABSTRACT This paper attempts to respond to the call for an ecological turn in intercultural communication research and approaches this goal through (auto)ethnographic accounts of different waters in Brazil. Moving from a neglected swimming pool in São Paulo to the turbulent waves of Santos Bay, it examines how water shapes human and more-than-human interactions, reflecting historical, colonial, and ecological entanglements. Drawing on literature from posthumanism and Marine STS, this paper develops a theoretical framework that approaches water as both a medium and a method for rethinking ontological and epistemological boundaries, offering ways to reimagine ethnological methods in intercultural communication research, while emphasizing the need for interdisciplinarity.

ABSTRACT This study explores cross-cultural dialogue between Māori and settler colonials through the lens of Emily Karaka’s paintings. Karaka’s paintings are used to probe and reveal the colonial roots of spatial organization at the site where they are displayed. Building on parallels between the life of Karaka’s paintings and Treaty of Waitangi documents, this study finds that post-Treaty dialogue between Māori and settler colonials takes place in spaces built on and informed by the spatial biases of settler colonialism. The study concludes that recognizing these biases is crucial for meaningful dialogue and suggests that the Treaty of Waitangi invites a spatial response.

ABSTRACT This bibliometric review analyzed 2,429 publications on intercultural communication in second/foreign language education from Scopus over 67 years. Findings highlight the growing integration of intercultural competence (IC) into curricula, with digital tools like telecollaboration and e-learning playing significant roles. Keywords such as “intercultural competence,” “students,” and “teaching” underscore IC’s pivotal role in shaping pedagogical strategies. The USA and China lead research output, while emerging trends include gender dynamics and technology-mediated learning. These findings stress the need for professional development, culturally responsive materials, and IC-focused learning outcomes in language education.

ABSTRACT This study examines DREAMers’ acculturation patterns using Berry’s framework of acculturation, focusing on their attitudes towards the US and acculturative stress. It extends acculturation research by incorporating elements of UndocuCrit Theory and differential adaptation theory to highlight the complexities of living undocumented in the US and by quantitatively and qualitatively analysing online weblogs instead of using traditional survey methods. Despite findings consistent with past acculturation research regarding immigrant attitudes towards the US and acculturative stress as a mediating factor, the unique coding process revealed the appearances of various acculturation patterns both within and across blog posts, suggesting the fluidity and variability of acculturation phenomena.

ABSTRACT This study examines how tribes in Jordan defend their members accused of corruption. The data come from three major public statements by three large tribes in response to highly publicized accusations of corruption. Using positioning theory, the analysis shows that this collectivist discourse is centered on self-glorification; stressing loyalty, belonging, and national identity; invoking religious narratives; and attacking accusers. It relies heavily on intertextuality, invoking of past events and master narratives, and recreating local traditional storylines. While Western culture focuses on defending the individual, collectivist culture focuses on defending the group/community and reflects the group’s feeling of being a victim.

ABSTRACT The present study aims to explore the role of intercultural sensitivity (IS) and critical thinking (CT) trainings in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ professional development (PD). To do so, 30 EFL teachers and 150 of their students in different high schools filled out the validated questionnaires as the pre-test. Then, the teachers received in-service trainings for IS and CT in separate phases with specified syllabi. At the end of each treatment, the students completed the teachers’ PD survey. In the final step, the teachers filled out the IS and CT questionnaires again as the post-test. It can be concluded that inclusion of IS and CT trainings in EFL curriculum could contribute to the improvement of EFL education programs as an effective step towards teachers’ PD.

ABSTRACT Contrary to the initial expectations, censorship managed to survive through the Digital Age as far as Internet censorship is today a global issue. The present paper attempts to provide insight into some new forms of censorship through investigating the various restrictions imposed on the Iranian nation by the United States. This study has shown that the U.S. government (in collaboration with Meta, Twitter, and Google) suppresses the Iranian media, removing them from the platforms, limiting Iranians’ access to the Internet, and silencing their dissenting voices in order to preserve its monopoly on the narrative. The results of this investigation also reveal one of the most extensive cases of censorship in the history of social media, which has been practiced by Instagram against General Qasem Soleimani.