History to Histories: Influence on Communication


History to Histories:  Influence on Communication

There are many influences on communication, and more specifically intercultural communication, in the world we live in.  Limiting "history" to a singular term is detrimental to intercultural communication because it doesn't allow for influence on communication.  To effectively understand how to communicate, we must first understand the identity of those we wish to communicate with.  "Many different kinds of history influence our understanding of who we are-as individuals, as family members, as members of cultural groups, and as citizens of a nation" (Martin & Nakayama, 2013, P. 128), which in turn influences how we communicate.  Without understanding the many different kinds of histories such as, political, intellectual, social, absent, family, national, and cultural-group, we cannot effectively initiate intercultural communication.  It is only when we understand where our identities come from, that we are able to see the power in how history is perceived, and what impact that has on intercultural communication.

In 1955, a woman named Rosa Parks was sitting on a bus, behind the rows designated to whites.  When the bus started to fill up, Rosa and four other African-Americans were asked to give up their seats, and all but Rosa complied.  The bus driver then had Rosa arrested, convicted of violating segregation laws, and fined.  After this, a boycott was initiated in Montgomery, Alabama, which created a huge economic threat to the city, as most bus riders were blacks. This simple, courageous act of saying no, and standing her ground, is what started the Civil Rights movement, and ultimately the rights of blacks were established.  However, Rosa Parks was not the first to be arrested on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.  In an article I read, the author states, "Two other women had been arrested on buses in Montgomery before Parks and were considered by black leaders as potential clients for challenging the law. However, both were rejected because black leaders felt they would not gain white support" ("Henry Ford").  This is a perfect example of hidden histories and also has large implications on intercultural communication.  

If these "black leaders" had chosen one of the other two women, how would the white-American public have reacted?  Would history have been the same?  This is important because if those that chose to use Rosa Parks during the civil rights movement hadn't had an understanding for the white-American, and how to communicate their message to them, there could have been a huge delay in the Civil Rights movement.  In the United States, there are many different cultural-groups.  It is because of this diversity that we must understand how history is perceived by not only the general American public, but by the cultural-groups within our nation, if we can expect to engage in effective intercultural communication.  In shifting from history (singular), to histories (plural) we can better understand where people come from.  These specific histories help us to determine identities and in turn help us to develop a deeper understanding of intercultural communication.

References

Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2013). Intercultural Communication in Contexts (6th ed.) New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

"Rosa Parks Bus." The Henry Ford. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sep 2013. <http://www.thehenryford.org/exhibits/rosaparks/story.asp>.