Emic, etic, and andragogy: The contributions of Nobleza Asunción-Lande to intercultural communication

Nobleza C. Asunción-Lande (d. February 13, 2010) devoted her career to communication studies, specializing in intercultural communication and linguistics. A faculty member in Communication Studies at the University of Kansas for more than forty years, she was a pioneer and builder in intercultural communication, helping to conceptualize its theory and pedagogy. Her scholarship and leadership are notable in the areas of language, ethics, conflict, and gender studies. Born in Manila, she adopted the world as her sphere for intercultural scholarship and practice with a global perspective, and her endless pursuit of intercultural opportunities took her around the world, literally, as a scholar, visiting professor and conferee. She published more than fifty articles on a variety of topics, and presented at more than seventy conferences. She was a pioneer in the International and Intercultural Division of NCA, SIETAR International, ICA, the Pacific and Asian Communication Association where she served as president, and the Central States Communication Association. Her editorial role in professional journals included Human Communication and the Howard Journal of Communications. She was also a mentor, guide, role model, and consummate encourager for her students at the University of Kansas. Whether consciously or unconsciously, Asunción-Lande consistently operationalized an etic and emic approach to intercultural communication scholarship.