From Intercultural Awareness to Intercultural Empathy

Abstract

This article is concerned with the incorporation of teaching culture into EFL teaching and learning, with a focus on the cultivation of culturally empathic ability for Chinese learners. The article first holds a discussion on the significance and basic concepts concerning intercultural empathy. Furthermore, it makes an attempt to analyze the barriers encountered by Chinese learners in developing culturally empathic ability. Finally, it tries to offer some suggestions and techniques.

The Role of Human Capital in Science, Technology and Innovation

“…The globalization of the labor market, along with growing professional mobility has led to the increasingly active interaction between people of various nationalities, cultures, ethnic groups, and religions, especially in global competency centers [Huber, 2012]. Intercultural awareness is necessary for such interaction, which helps workers accept other people's values, traditions, and convictions -which in turn helps avoid possible misunderstandings between project participants [Zhu, 2011]. Such intercultural awareness elements as respect, tolerance, caring, interest in, and attention to others [Cukier et al, 2015] make it possible for people to efficiently work alongside each other in the present-day multicultural, multinational environment.…”

Empathy As A Part Of Professional Culture Of The Specialist

“…(Voevoda et al, 2017), on the principles of cultural diversity in knowledge dissemination (Сhernyavskaya, 2016). It is also important to mention here the issues of empathy in http: //dx.doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2018.12.02.4 Corresponding Author: L.P. Kostikova Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of the conference eISSN: 2357-1330 36 language learning (Grineva, 2014;Chen, 2013;Zheng, 2017;Zhu, 2011), developing empathy through the analyses of texts of the English fiction (Beliaevskaya, 2015).…”

Intercultural empathy among Norwegian students: an inclusive citizenship perspective

“…The term 'empatheia' stems from the Greek language and refers to understanding others by entering their world (Zhu 2011). In recent literature, empathy has been described as 'the immediate experience of the emotions of another person' or 'the intellectual understanding of another's experience' (Duan and Hill 1996, 261; see also, DeTurk 2001;).…”

“…In contrast, a lack of empathy has been linked to intergroup aggression and social dominance (Wang et al 2003). While Zhu (2011) regards intercultural empathy as a foundation of communication and understanding of 'the other', Hofmann (2000) links empathy to pro-social behaviour. A school culture of 'multiculturalism' may prevent violence and facilitate community engagement and respect for diversity (Chang and Le 2010;Le and Johansen 2011).…”