How do people traditionally situated on the margins of societyùpeople of color, women, gays/lesbians/bisexuals, and those from a lower socio-economic statusùcommunicate within the dominant societal structures? Constructing Co-Cultural Theory presents a phenomenological framework for understanding the intricate relationship between culture, power, and communication. Grounded in muted group and standpoint theory, this volume presents a theoretical framework that fosters a critically insightful vantage point into the complexities of culture, power, and communication. The volume comprises six chapters; key coverage includes: a review of critique of the literature on co-cultural communication; description of how the perspective of co-cultural group members were involved in each stage of theory development; an explication of 25 co-cultural communication strategies, and a model of six factors that influence strategy selection. The final chapter examines how co-cultural theory correlates with other work in communication generally and in intercultural communication specifically. Author Mark P. Orbe considers inherent limitations of his framework and the implication for future research in this area. Scholars and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students will find that this volume covers an important topic which will be of interest to those in the fields of communication, cultural studies, and race and ethnic studies.

Foundations of Muted-Group and Standpoint Theory

Foundations of muted-group and standpoint theory

The development of co-cultural theory is grounded in the work of scholars in the fields of anthropology, sociology, and communication. Such an acknowledgment is important in encouraging the reader to identify and understand how the co-cultural theoretical framework described in this book is largely within existing work in critical theory. This chapter describes two specific theoretical frame-works—muted-group theory and feminist standpoint theory—that facilitated the development of a paradigm that addresses the communicative experiences of those persons marginalized within the structures of dominant society. After a brief explication of the fundamental ideas associated with these two conceptual frameworks, existing research on co-cultural communication will be presented and reviewed.

Muted-Group Communication

The study of human communication offers ...

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