Title
In The Mask Of Thin Air: Intragroup And Intergroup Communication During The Mt. Everest Disaster
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
1-1-2003
Publication Title
Group Communication In Context: Studies Of Bona Fide Groups (2nd Ed.).
Department
Communication Studies
Abstract
Begins with a description of expeditions bound for Mt Everest as a site for examining group interaction and provide a brief description of the May 1996 summit bid. The author then explores the importance of understanding the context of group communication on Mt Everest through the bona fide group perspective, which emphasizes the importance of studying the permeability of group boundaries and the interdependence of groups with their contexts. The author briefly reviews structuration theory and uses it as an analytical tool to identify how groups on Mt Everest develop certain communication and behavioral patterns within and between expeditions. The study covers on climbing season and focuses on the events leading up to and including the May 10-11, 1996 disaster.
pp.
137-156
Provider Link
Citation
Houston, Renée. In the mask of thin air: Intragroup and intergroup communication during the Mt. Everest Disaster. Mahwah, NJ, US: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 2003.