By Mark P. Orbe
Sage Publications, 1998

Reviewer: Susan A Holton, Ph.D.
Bridgewater State College

Communication scholars have long attempted to analyze the communication of disparate groups as intercultural communication. Orbe's co-cultural theory is an answer to the conundrum of "the other" in communication situations.

His rational for the use of the term co-cultural is that it implies equality; he believes that other terms such as intracultural, subcultural, nondominant, imply inequality. That assumption is not explored in depth. He does state that most of the work in this area has focused on the dominant perspective. But his theory looks at the ways in which the inequality in communication exists between the dominant group (white, Christian, heterosexual male) and marginalized groups (all others) and how the "others" adapt.

Orbe's work is based on two long-standing theories from other fields, "muted group theory" and "feminist standpoint theory". He explains each theory thoroughly and then applies each to his co-cultural paradigm.

The first few chapters of the book are devoted to his weighty rationalization of the phenomenological theoretical framework. It is clear here that this is a doctoral disssertation turned into a book. The book becomes more accessible as he uses the voices of his "co-researchers", those co-cultural group members who speak about their interactions with dominant cultures. He uses their experiences to explore his theory.

He also notes that anyone, even someone who is traditionally a member of the dominant group, may become a temporary member of a co-cultural group and have to adopt different communication behaviors.

Orbe gives an extensive summary of communication practices that members of the co-culture may use in communicating with the dominant culture. And later chapters of the book give explicit examples of communication adaptations from the lives of his co-researchers. Anyone who is a member of any co-cultural group can identify with many of the adaptations and realize why some communication situations are so exhausting!

His theory can be summed up in his explication of the six factors which exist in co-cultural communication process:

Situated within a particular field of experience that governs their perceptions of the costs and rewards associated with, as well as their ability to perform, various communicative practices, co-cultural group members will adopt various communication orientations - on the basis of their preferred outcomes and communication approaches - to fit the circumstances of a specific situation. (18)

It is not clear whether Orbe's groups are specifically demographically or psychographically so. He mentions ethnic/racial, sexual orientation, gender, class, ability, age. It is not clear what "unifying elements" are within the umbrella of co-cultural theory and what, if any, are not. Are attitudinal differences considered co-cultural?

Co-cultural theory has a definite place in the field, but it is untested theory. It needs to be explored by other researchers, and applied with a variety of "co-cultural" groups.

This book explains the theory well, and gives definitive examples of the theory. The book's main flaw is that it reads exactly like a dissertation, the only thing missing is the chair's signatures.