The Sage Encyclopedia of Intercultural Competence. Ed. by Janet M. Bennett. Los Angeles: Sage Reference, 2015. 2 vols. Acid free $340 (ISBN 978-1-4522-4428-0).

Encyclopedia of Intercultural Competence draws together multiple concepts and theories related to interaction between groups of people with different cultural identities. As such, a wide range of disciplines and perspectives are represented in the entries, spanning education, healthcare, and the social sciences. What distinguishes these volumes from similar works, such as Jane Jackson’s Handbook of Language and Intercultural Communication (Routledge 2012) is the broadening of scope beyond verbal communication to include values, ethics, customs, and culture.

Generally, the implicit contrast set is between English-speaking North Americans and other countries and cultures. Most entries are accessible and written in straightforward language with a distinct voice of each writer. As a aid to findability, entries are listed both alphabetically and thematically in a reader’s guide. The 261 entries are classified according to twenty themes such as “Diversity and Inclusion,” “Intercultural Communication,” “Research Paradigms and Research Methods,” and “Values.” These themes are extremely useful as a means of navigating the volumes at a glance, especially when several disciplines are grouped together under one such concept. All entries have reference lists of supplementary readings, and one of the three appendices provides a substantive bibliography of up-to-date intercultural texts.

An advantage of these volumes is that the originators of particular theories were selected to write their own sections, which gives them a particular insight into their subjects. While format is generally consistent across the volumes, individual entries on similar topics (such as “Communicating Across Cultures with People from China,” “Communicating Across Cultures with People from Japan,” and “Communicating Across Cultures with People from India”) may not contain the same subheadings or areas of focus. This makes straightforward comparisons more difficult, though not impossible. Another absence is the lack of biographical material, but individual entries do make reference to important theorists and practitioners in the field. This focus on pragmatics and competence means that biographical material would have to be gleaned from other reference sources.

A potential drawback of the volume is the lack of assessment instruments and tools which might accompany specific entries when useful for practitioners. In all, this makes the volumes valuable as an overview for generalists or beginners, but less suitable for advanced practitioners who will need in-depth materials about a particular culture, its pragmatics, and its norms. If working extensively with a specific population then more detailed information would certainly be needed. Academic libraries which support programs in communications, conflict resolution, international business, psychology, education, and social work will find this a useful set for their collections.—Erin Pappas- European Languages and Social Sciences Librarian, Georgetown University, Washington, DC