Biracial Identity

Multiracial individuals have parents whose cultural identities are from two different racial/ethnic groups, such as having one parent who identifies with an African heritage and another parent who identifies with a Japanese heritage. Conversely, monoracial individuals have parents who identify with the same racial/ethnic group. These two social groupings can represent distinct lived experiences; thus, they represent two different cultural groups.

Intercultural communication involves an exchange between people who are different culturally. People can be perceived as culturally different because of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or mental health status. Communication patterns between culturally different individuals can involve topics that are commonly introduced in a conversation, assumptions about others’ interests and background, commonly stated observations or questions, and so on. This entry describes intercultural ...