Reconstucting the histories and influences of 1970s intercultural leaders: Prelude to biographies

Taking a biographical approach in order to contribute to the sociology of science that formed, integrated, or demarcated the intercultural communication (IC) or related intercultural fields, this special issue documents the constructed history of twelve scholars considered to be among the early influencers of the field(s) that developed during the 1970s starting from the United States.This introductory essay illustrates the needs for such a volume to fill an important gap in IC history, provides a rationale for focusing on the 1970s, and discusses the current state of documenting various expressions of the intercultural discipline. It highlights the value of biography as one historical window from which to review or reconstruct the social history derived from the interdisciplinary influences and outcomes of IC or related intercultural fields. After a brief review of earlier people and tracks that influenced the field's eventual formation, it provides categorical and chronological summaries of people and their initiatives in and around the 1970s that established IC, the rationale that guided inclusions or omissions for this “selected” set of biographies, and highlights other worthy influencers not profiled.This essay provides an overview for the questions that contributing authors were asked to address about each person featured in this special issue: (1) the ways they founded, influenced, or affected the ongoing IC field or related intercultural work, (2) the topics or domains that they influenced, (3) the lines or types of IC they launched and outcomes of their legacies, and (4) the principles, practices, or personal characteristics those in the field now can reconsider as catalysts for renewal or future developments.