Theories, research concepts, and methods in most communication studies in Japan have been imported from and imposed by Western inquirers since the early 1970s, when communication was first recognised as an academic discipline. Many dichotomous concepts, including collectivism – individualism, and high- – low-context communication have been blindly employed in cross-cultural comparisons. Asian scholars have increasingly argued that such constructs mislead the characterisation of Asian cultures. This webinar presents the argument that conventional theories and concepts to account for Japanese conflict communication must be overhauled, by demonstrating that “avoidance,” regarded as the most ineffective strategy in the West can be identified as effective by Japanese.

Webinar time

4:00 pm GMT+8 (Singapore)

Speaker Profile

Professor Akira Miyahara Professor of Communication Studies, Faculty of Foreign Language Studies, Seinan Gakuin University Upon completion of MA and PhD in communication at Pennsylvania State University, Professor Miyahara spent four years teaching at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. He has been on the faculty at Seinan Gakuin, his alma mater since 1986. Professor Miyahara’s research interest has been in the areas of interpersonal, intercultural, and medical communication. He has served several academic organizations as a director including International Communication Association, National Communication Association, Japan Communication Association, and Japanese Health Communication Association.

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