Notes in the history of intercultural communication: The Foreign Service institute and the mandate for intercultural training

Abstract

Edward T. Hall is usually the author mentioned as the first to write explicitly about intercultural communication. His book, The Silent Language, published in 1959 and generally listed as the first work in the field, has been influential in setting the agenda for the field of intercultural communication. At the same time, it is important to understand that Hall's work was not invented de novo, but rested heavily upon work begun with a series of colleagues for the specific purpose of training American diplomats about to be sent abroad. Understanding The Silent Language and the effect it has had on the study of intercultural communication requires knowing about the history of a particular group of linguists and anthropologists at a particular place, the Foreign Service Institute, and time, 1946–1956; that history is the focus here.

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