‘The Gift of a bridge is you can see both sides:’ A Postcolonial Approach to Intercultural Communication in Leila Buck’s In the Crossing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70091/Atras/vol07no01.17Keywords:
Arab American identity, crossing boundaries, Intercultural Communication, Leila Buck’s In the Crossing, Postcolonial ApproachAbstract
The paper focuses on intercultural communication in Leila Buck's play In the Crossing, with a significant reliance on a Postcolonial Approach. Intercultural communication manifests through the intersection of two intrinsically and ideologically different cultures. Buck uses various strategies to deconstruct the binary opposition between the East and the West: adaptation is achieved through translation, intelligibility, and meaningfulness. Intercultural communication in the Crossing will be analyzed with a significant reliance on Milton Bennett's interpretation of adaptation as the key to crossing bridges and creating a cultural dialogue. Accordingly, the present paper will focus on the similarities between Postcolonialism and Intercultural Communication to study Arab American identity, to criticize the notion of otherness, and to subvert stereotypes against Arab American Muslims after the 9-11 events. Like Said's postcolonial project, which aims to blur ethnic boundaries, intercultural communication is meant to create a multicultural fabric. The ultimate goal of this study is to show Buck's criticism of the monocultural mindset, her challenge to the politicized discourse, and her success in creating cross-cultural communication.
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