Rhian Morgan

Culture, Anthropology and Cross-cultural Training: a Critical Analysis of Conceptions of Culture Within Cross-cultural Training Programs Rhian Morgan

Cross-cultural training (CCT) is a form of people skills training aimed at facilitating the development of intercultural communicative competence and cultural sensitivity. Since the 1960s, cross-cultural training has developed into the product of a small, multinational, commercial industry. CCT workshops attempt to provide trainees with an understanding of culture that will encourage cultural sensitivity and appropriate behaviors during intercultural encounters. However, ?culture' is a contested concept; there is no universally accepted definition or theory of culture. The existence of a plethora of theories on the nature and influences of ?culture' raises questions as to which conceptions of culture CCT courses are adhering to and promoting. This book addresses these questions through a critical analysis of the contents and influences of cross-cultural training courses in comparison to anthropological theories of culture.