Abstract:
This article argues that culture encodes behavioural and conceptual patterns of dealing with
inside–outside boundaries, and that as a consequence, different types of culture are likely to
encode different styles of communication and corresponding forms of dialogue. It suggests
that dialogical partners may benefit from the insight that interreligious dialogue tends to
display patterns related to the underlying mechanisms of intercultural communication and
that these cultural mechanisms are more influential in the dialogical process and outcome
than the religious ideals pursued. Developmental models of dialogue in particular will be
discussed.
