Post-Intercultural Communication Research: The Ecological Turn and the Humanism-Posthumanism Continuum

The ecological turn in intercultural communication research understands human environmentaldegradation as a cultural product, parallel to colonial attitudes. In reaction tothis, the ecological turn sees humans as an equal part of nature. This requires a radicaldisruption of previous thinking, often embodied in posthumanist philosophies. However,posthumanism can also be seen as a continuum to humanism, providing a more consistentframework for the aims of humanism. Humanist research on intercultural communicationhas always been less concerned with emphasising the peculiarities of culture and moreconcerned with how human beings can free themselves from cultural constraints, developand evolve. Posthumanist thinking pushes culture further aside and opens up to a postinterculturalcommunication research that explores human potentials and responsibilitiesin the ecological turn.