Ecocultural Identity and the Anthropocentric Avoidance Gesture in Intercultural Communication
Abstract
This theoretical essay situates the U.S.-based intercultural communication field (IC) within the broader context of climate change. I introduce the ecocultural identity framework and overview how it has been used within and beyond the communication discipline. Then, I elaborate on the idea of the persistence or lack thereof of the anthropocentric avoidance gesture in IC since Kinefuchi and Mendoza’s (2016) call for the “ecological turn” in the field. I identify conceptual and methodological cross-pollinations to foster earth-centric approaches to IC. I close by re-imagining vocabularies of oppression as part of the ecological turn in the Intercultural Communication field.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Categorization
perception
and language
Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond
Social Representations and Identity
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Intercultural Communication Research
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 55
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 32–52
- Publication date
- 2 January 2026
- Language
- EN