Mediating Cultures

With a few notable exceptions, cultural diversity has been overlooked and neglected in family communication literature. I am delighted to see the publication of Mediating Cultures, which focuses so clearly on filling this void. The chapters are all situated at the nexus of intercultural communication and family communication, and this is a welcome addition to the field. -- Lynn H. Turner, Marquette University
Communication scholars Gonzalez (Bowling Green State Univ.) and Harris (Univ. of Georgia) make a long overdue contribution to their discipline with this collection. Covering topics from parenting in the White House to parenting in ABC's Modern Family, this thought-provoking volume examines significant contemporary intercultural and family communication issues. The ten essays coalesce to form a coherent narrative that goes from micro- (section 1) to macro-level (section 2) communication to address parenting in intercultural contexts. The collection's key contribution is to extend the discussion from a black/white racial/cultural binary to bi- and multicultural persons. Representing a wide breadth of cultural and intellectual perspectives, the contributors include both veteran scholars (e.g., Jennifer Willis-Rivera and both the editors) and emerging scholars (e.g., Natalia Rybas, Suchitra Shenoy). Of particular significance is Kimberly Moffitt's essay about the Obamas; as the first multicultural family to inhabit the White House, the Obamas are hyper-scrutinized and their actions carry weight that shapes the US's collective psyche. Such influence includes their parenting practices as a multicultural family. Missing is discussion of parenting in the Native American population, a group social sciences continues to neglect. A good resource for those interested in family and interpersonal communication, media studies, and critical cultural studies. Summing Up: Recommended. * CHOICE *