Benjamin Bailey
By: Kaitlyn Ferrini
Professor Benjamin Bailey has been specifically studying Intercultural Communication since he was in high school but according to him, we have all been studying communication since we were born. He says that communication is how we learn how to be a person in the society we live in.
What he says really sparked his interest in intercultural communication, was a trip he took to Germany as an exchange student when he was in high school. He says, “I spoke very good German, I’d studied it long and hard in school and when I got there I realized that the people were often doing things that didn’t make sense to me, even though I understood the words that they were saying”. Because of his experiences with culture in Germany, Professor Bailey decided to study intercultural communication for his undergraduate degree at Brown University.
Much of his interest within the field of communication lies in multi-lingualism, and how speaking different languages can create a “whole new cultural perspective even though you’re sitting in the same place.” Professor Bailey is also greatly interested by race and other forms of social identity.
In talking about his research, it is clear that Professor Bailey is deeply passionate about what he studies. His interest in language and social identity linked to race has led him to a wide range of research topics. For example, his master’s thesis looked closely at communication patterns among Korean storekeepers and African-American customers, his dissertation, which has been made into a book entitled, Language, Race, and Negotiation of Identity. A Study of Dominican Americans, studies Dominican-American high school students and how they identify with society as a result of their race and who you say you are through the ways you talk. Generally, he says, he has written things about race and code switching, using two different languages when you talk most commonly Spanish and English. He has written about immigration and culture changes for immigrants. Professor Bailey has also done some co-authorship with graduate students. These papers look at things such as names of Chinese-Indonesians in Indonesia and another looked at talk in Buddhist on-line forums.
Professor Bailey’s passion for what he does is evident in his response when asked what he found to be the most interesting information he has come across in his research. Bailey responded with a laugh: “I think it’s all-interesting, I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think it were interesting”.
Benjamin Bailey also has various research endeavors that he is presently working on or planning to work on in the near future. He is working with graduate students to write papers; one is on the ways talk was used in the occupy movement and the democratic model of turn taking that seems to go against certain parts of human nature. He is also working on another very different paper focused on how people keep track of references in spoken Chinese and the difficulties non-native speakers face when translating tapes and not knowing who is being referenced because words like “he” and “him” are not used. He also has plans to write a textbook about language and race.
This marks Professor Bailey’s 13th year at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he teaches classes that focus on the cultural aspects of communication and language. Specifically he teaches 3 courses; Communication 212- Cultural Codes in Communication, Communication 320- Communication and Social Identities, and Communication 414- Studying Everyday Talk.
Professor Bailey says that his most rewarding experience being on faculty at UMass is being able to see that a large percentage of students in his classes are thinking in a new way. He says, “that’s what we’re here for, not to impart facts to you but to have you grow and when I can see that growth over the course of the semester, I like that. That’s why I like teaching”. Professor Bailey stresses the fact that he enjoys talking to students who are interested in class material about anything they want to, not just things that are discussed in class.
For more information, see his bio on the Comm Faculty Webpage! Professor Bailey can be reached by email at [email protected]. His office is located in 307A Machmer Hall.