Although the literary arts and popular culture do not always occupy the limelight in discussions on intercultural education, few educational stakeholders would dispute that they do hold a compelling interest for many tertiary foreign language learners. Accordingly, there is no shortage of research illustrating the robust connections between popular culture and motivational strategies for foreign language learners. Given this abundance of research on motivation, this article will instead concern itself with an intercultural analysis of the representation of both etic and emic demographic groups within the currently unpublished novel, “The Boy Who Heard Music” (2005- 2006), authored by a British writer, composer and musician, Pete Townshend. Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity will comprise the principal theoretical construct underpinning this analysis. In short, the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity is a six-stage framework for explaining the reactions of people to cultural difference. Stage one (the “denial of cultural difference” stage) is the least culturally sensitive stage, while stage six (the “integration of culturaldifference” stage) is the most culturally sensitive one
