THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

Globalization tendencies and advances in technology are the cause of increasing number of contacts of individual from diverse cultural backgrounds. The term culture may not necessarily imply a culture shared by representatives of a nation, i.e. a national culture, but as well any group of individuals sharing the same values, norms and behavioural patterns. Intercultural communication represents, on the one hand, communication process between/among representatives of diverse cultures; on the other hand, it can be perceived as a relatively new scientific discipline. The aim of this contribution is an attempt to summarize approaches and definitions to the concept of intercultural communication and point out the most significant aspects of it.