Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jan 2007

Commentary: Dancing the <i>Kochari</i>: Challenging the U.S. Perspective on Communication in Newly Democratic Cultures

Gil Harootunian

Abstract

Research on professional communication in the former Soviet republics and satellite countries was by and large closed to American scholars until recent years. This commentary offers a critical introduction to the forces of globalization, discourse, and democracy in that region, offering to U.S. readers a corrective lens that challenges the American view of the role of writing in regions where democratization is new, fragile, and even alien to the culture. A great part of our work as professional communicators rests on Western, particularly democratic, theoretical assumptions, mainly derived from Greco-Roman assumptions. Too often we do not confront the real otherness of practices that poach on Western assumptions or practices for nondemocratic ends, but we face increasing pressure to do so as our work is relentlessly internationalized.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2007-01-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651906293533
Topics
professional writing multilingual writers

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (4)

  1. Ding (2018)
    What Do We Learn About Technical Communication in Hungary Through My Students a…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Zemliansky et al. (2013)
    The State of Technical Communication in the Former Ussr: A Review of Literature
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Salmona et al. (2013)
    Online Social Networking across Cultures: An Exploration of Divergent and Commo…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Craig et al. (2010)
    Professional Communication Education in a Global Context: A Collaboration Betwe…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication

Cites in this index (2)

  1. Stevens (2000)
    Russian Teaching Contracts
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. HAGEN (1998)
    Teaching American Business Writing in Russia
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Also cites 1 work outside this index ↓
  1. 10.1017/CBO9781316534984
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 5 View in citation network →

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