About the Book
Offering unique coverage of an emerging, interdisciplinary area, this comprehensive handbook examines the theoretical underpinnings and emergent conceptions of intercultural mediation in related fields of study.
Authored by global experts in fields from intercultural communication and conflict resolution to translation studies, literature, political science, and foreign language teaching, chapters trace the history, development, and present state of approaches to intercultural mediation. The sections in this volume show how the concept of intercultural mediation has been constructed among different fields and shaped by its specific applications in an open cycle of influence. The book parses different philosophical conceptions as well as pragmatic approaches, providing ample grounding in the key perspectives on this growing field of discourse.
The Routledge Handbook of Intercultural Mediation is a valuable reference for graduate and postgraduate students studying mediation, conflict resolution, intercultural communication, translation, and psychology, as well as for practitioners and researchers in those fields and beyond.
Table of Contents:
PART I: Professional intercultural dispute mediation Chapter 1. Culture and mediation: A 2020s perspective on early criticism of Western paradigms Chapter 2. Cross-cultural disputes and mediator strategies Chapter 3. De-essentializing notions of self and identity in mediation Chapter 4. Cultural humility in intercultural mediation Chapter 5. Intercultural mediation training Chapter 6. Interculturality in Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Chapter 7. Policing and intercultural mediation: Forms of triadic conflict management Chapter 8. Putting culture into a perspective in intercultural mediation PART II: Intercultural mediation in international politics Chapter 9. Interculturality in the concept of peace mediation Chapter 10. Hybrid peace mediation in the age of pandemics Chapter 11. The political dimensions of culture and religion in mediation Chapter 12. Third parties’ involvement in contexts of political conflict and power imbalances Chapter 13. Seeing people in interactive peacemaking through a consciousness lens Chapter 14. The past is the past—or is it? Considering the role of the past in intercultural mediation Chapter 15. The politics of intercultural space: Inclusive, unobtrusive, and failed mediation PART III: De-Centering Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Chapter 16. Imagining a racially diverse and inclusive mediation field: Uncovering the structural hurdles Chapter 17. Intercultural mediation from a European perspective Chapter 18. Islamic forms of intercultural mediation Chapter 19. Transforming conflict cultures through mediation Chapter 20. Indigenous conflict resolution strategies beyond the ADR paradigm PART IV: De-essentializing culture in intercultural mediation Chapter 21. The discourse of thirdness in intercultural mediation Chapter 22. The triadic character of intercultural learning: Insights from edusemiotics Chapter 23. The bridge metaphor in intercultural mediation Chapter 24. Using creative non-fiction to pinpoint moments of deCentering in intercultural mediation Chapter 25. Emic and etic perspectives on culture in mediation Chapter 26. Professional dispute mediators’ notions of culture Chapter 27. Design thinking and design communication for intercultural conflict management PART V: Theorizing intercultural mediation Chapter 28. Theorizing mediation from the perspective of legal anthropology Chapter 29. Anthropological approaches to culture in conflict mediation Chapter 30. Anthropology and mediation in an environmental conflict: Worldview translation as synthesis Chapter 31. Weaving together three strands of research: Culture, communication, and conflict Chapter 32. Intercultural mediation as intercultural competence Chapter 33. It takes three to tango. A sociological triadology Chapter 34. A framework for understanding intercultural mediation from the standpoint of a systemic theory of communication PART VI: Linguistic explorations of intercultural mediation Chapter 35. Research from conversation analysis on intercultural mediation Chapter 36. Managing culturality in mediation sessions: Insights from membership categorization analysis and discursive psychology Chapter 37. Intercultural mediation from the perspective of linguistic pragmatics Chapter 38. Storytelling, culture, and identity in mediation PART VII: Psychological tools for analyzing intercultural mediation Chapter 39. Cultural intelligence in intercultural mediation Chapter 40. Research from psychology on intercultural mediation: Cultural values and emotional intelligence Chapter 41. Measuring intercultural mediation in the context of intergroup conflict: Classical and modern test theory approaches to scale assessment PART VIII: Translation research and intercultural mediation Chapter 42. Intercultural mediation in translation and interpreting studies Chapter 43. Translation as intercultural mediation—The evolution of a paradigm Chapter 44. The mediating role of empathy in community interpreting Chapter 45. Exacerbating cultural differences in translation/interpreting as intercultural mediation PART IX: Intercultural mediation in foreign language education and the arts Chapter 46. The intercultural speaker as an intercultural mediator Chapter 47. Intercultural mediation in contexts of translanguaging Chapter 48. Children as intercultural mediators Chapter 49. Intercultural mediation in the world language classroom
About the Author :
Dominic Busch is a full professor of intercultural communication and conflict research at the faculty of human sciences, University of the Bundeswehr Munich, Germany.
Review :
"Today, the promises and pitfalls of multiculturalism, internationalism and globalization fill our headlines and our daily lives. As a result, there is an increasingly urgent need for peacemakers who can bring sensitivity, insight, evidence and skill to helping us navigate cultural differences, particularly those that are deep, invisible and sacred. This extraordinary book—The Routledge Handbook of Intercultural Mediation—is the most current and comprehensive resource for those intrepid mediators who serve as our guides in these tumultuous times. It will serve as the canon for this work, and a treasured resource for decades to come."
Peter T. Coleman, Professor of Psychology and Education, Director of the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia University, USA
"I cannot think of a better volume to help us make sense of the avalanche of intercultural ‘nightmares’ that we have been facing since early 2020—and before that! Dominic Busch has managed to put together a stimulating interdisciplinary and visionary compendium around intercultural mediation. Together with the authors they remind us that mediation does not just matter in times of emergencies but that it is pivotal to the very notion of interculturality at all times. The handbook retells the past of intercultural mediation, keeps us up-to-date with today’s research and inspires us for the future. It should be on everyone’s must-read list."
Fred Dervin, Professor of Multicultural Education, University of Helsinki, Finland
"The ideas and practices of intercultural mediation draw (or at least, should draw) from a wide variety of subject matter, fields and research traditions. A thorough academic treatment that crosses all these ‘silos’ is overdue, and The Routledge Handbook of Intercultural Mediation addresses this gap in style. Its array of authors shows not only the expected level of expertise as well as the range of cultures and nations for such a work, but also a creative selection of fields and backgrounds. A list of the wide variety of research settings in this book might begin with the sciences, business, law, engineering, health care and linguistics, but it won’t end there. This is an essential resource for anyone who is trying to understand what mediators can do, and how they can improve, in the complex interactions that make up intercultural work."
Christopher Honeyman, Managing Partner at Convenor Conflict Management, Washington, DC, USA
"A global pandemic, geopolitical ructions, social and economic inequality, and the rise of artificial intelligence provide stark reminders as to why intercultural mediation continues to matter. Learning to live well together is an enduring project of humanity, and understanding how to achieve this remains at the core of the concept and practices of intercultural mediation. This volume traces the evolution of this term and its various manifestations across diverse disciplines, paradigms and cultural worldviews. It represents a comprehensive, rich and compelling account of why intercultural mediation remains crucial for reciprocal engagement, justice and peace that must occur if we are to come together to face the great challenges that lie ahead."
Michelle Kohler, Senior Research Fellow, Research Centre for Languages and Cultures, UniSA: Justice and Society, University of South Australia, Australia.
"This collection is particularly broad, being interdisciplinary and international as well as intercultural, including the topics covered, disciplines represented, and chapter authors, and thus should be relevant to an uncommonly large group of researchers, practitioners, and students."
Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz, Director of the Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Professor Emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, USA
"The new handbook weaves together interdisciplinary insights into the role of intercultural mediation in situations of conflict, dialogue, and more inclusive forms of community-building across varied cultural and organizational contexts. As well as contributing to debates about the meanings of culture and interculturality, the book provides a nuanced view of the field, laying out theoretical achievements and gaps and identifying promising practices."
Kirstie McAllum, Department of Communication, Université de Montréal, Canada
"A unique and stimulating collection of perspectives and insights on the interplay between mediation and culture. The authors come from a wide array of disciplines and cultures and explore a variety of situations at different levels of abstraction. This book can enrich anyone’s ability to recognize, understand, and deal wisely with cultural influences in mediation—and other situations."
Leonard L. Riskin, Visiting Professor, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, USA
"Given the numerous wars between nations and violent conflicts within nations in today’s world, it’s obvious that neutral third parties trained in intercultural mediators are needed to help resolve such conflicts. In light of this, The Handbook of Intercultural Mediation should be required reading for this important group of professional mediators."
Joseph A. Scimecca, Professor of Sociology, George Mason University, USA
"The Routledge Handbook of Intercultural Mediation is a tour de force. This work is a dazzling achievement written with great skill by a global community of scholars, and whose usefulness will have a long life. This book makes a significant contribution toward nonviolent social change, especially when placed against the backdrop of the current urgencies of global pandemic and the horrors of war. Beginning with an initial review of the literature, the stage is set for current and future researchers and practitioners to reexamine how they (we) have thought about culture, conflict, and community. As the reader is invited to assume roles of observer and participant, an impressive gathering of international contributors explores diverse aspects of intercultural mediation as a process of dispute resolution, a byproduct of translation and pedagogy, and as a communicative or socio-political aspiration. These authors present a wide range of approaches, disciplines, voices, and perspectives that highlight, yet bring cohesion to disparate epistemological and methodological tensions."
Mary Adams Trujillo, Professor Emerita of Communication Arts and Conflict Transformation, North Park University, USA
"Full of innovative approaches and observations, including alternatives to and critiques of a Western-only approach to mediation, this Handbook of Intercultural Mediation is a treatment of mediation that examines interculturality as it should be done- comprehensively, globally, and respectfully. This volume, appearing as the world struggles with the global impact of both epidemic and war, could hardly be more timely. It is unique in bringing both depth and breadth to the topic of intercultural mediation. Especially remarkable for the range of scales represented, from analyses of language to international politics, the volume is destined to be a touchstone for work in mediation, and for intercultural studies generally, for years to come."
Geoffrey White, Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, University of Hawai’i, USA
Today, the promises and pitfalls of multiculturalism, internationalism and globalization fill our headlines and our daily lives. As a result, there is an increasingly urgent need for peacemakers who can bring sensitivity, insight, evidence and skill to helping us navigate cultural differences, particularly those that are deep, invisible and sacred. This extraordinary book—The Routledge Handbook of Intercultural Mediation—is the most current and comprehensive resource for those intrepid mediators who serve as our guides in these tumultuous times. It will serve as the canon for this work, and a treasured resource for decades to come. Peter T. Coleman, Professor of Psychology and Education, Director of the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia University, USA.
I cannot think of a better volume to help us make sense of the avalanche of intercultural ‘nightmares’ that we have been facing since early 2020—and before that! Dominic Busch has managed to put together a stimulating interdisciplinary and visionary compendium around intercultural mediation. Together with the authors they remind us that mediation does not just matter in times of emergencies but that it is pivotal to the very notion of interculturality at all times. The handbook retells the past of intercultural mediation, keeps us up-to-date with today’s research and inspires us for the future. It should be on everyone’s must-read list. Fred Dervin, Professor of Multicultural Education, University of Helsinki, Finland.
"The ideas and practices of intercultural mediation draw (or at least, should draw) from a wide variety of subject matter, fields and research traditions. A thorough academic treatment that crosses all these ‘silos’ is overdue, and The Routledge Handbook of Intercultural Mediation addresses this gap in style. Its array of authors shows not only the expected level of expertise as well as the range of cultures and nations for such a work, but also a creative selection of fields and backgrounds. A list of the wide variety of research settings in this book might begin with the sciences, business, law, engineering, health care and linguistics, but it won’t end there. This is an essential resource for anyone who is trying to understand what mediators can do, and how they can improve, in the complex interactions that make up intercultural work. Christopher Honeyman, Managing Partner at Convenor Conflict Management, Washington, DC, USA.
A global pandemic, geopolitical ructions, social and economic inequality, and the rise of artificial intelligence provide stark reminders as to why intercultural mediation continues to matter. Learning to live well together is an enduring project of humanity, and understanding how to achieve this remains at the core of the concept and practices of intercultural mediation. This volume traces the evolution of this term and its various manifestations across diverse disciplines, paradigms and cultural worldviews. It represents a comprehensive, rich and compelling account of why intercultural mediation remains crucial for reciprocal engagement, justice and peace that must occur if we are to come together to face the great challenges that lie ahead. Michelle Kohler, Senior Research Fellow, Research Centre for Languages and Cultures, UniSA: Justice and Society, University of South Australia, Australia.
This collection is particularly broad, being interdisciplinary and international as well as intercultural, including the topics covered, disciplines represented, and chapter authors, and thus should be relevant to an uncommonly large group of researchers, practitioners, and students. Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz, Director of the Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Professor Emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, USA.
The new handbook weaves together interdisciplinary insights into the role of intercultural mediation in situations of conflict, dialogue, and more inclusive forms of community-building across varied cultural and organizational contexts. As well as contributing to debates about the meanings of culture and interculturality, the book provides a nuanced view of the field, laying out theoretical achievements and gaps and identifying promising practices. Kirstie McAllum, Department of Communication, Université de Montréal, Canada.
A unique and stimulating collection of perspectives and insights on the interplay between mediation and culture. The authors come from a wide array of disciplines and cultures and explore a variety of situations at different levels of abstraction. This book can enrich anyone’s ability to recognize, understand, and deal wisely with cultural influences in mediation—and other situations. Leonard L. Riskin, Visiting Professor, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, USA.
Given the numerous wars between nations and violent conflicts within nations in today’s world, it’s obvious that neutral third parties trained in intercultural mediators are needed to help resolve such conflicts. In light of this, The Handbook of Intercultural Mediation should be required reading for this important group of professional mediators. Joseph A. Scimecca, Professor of Sociology, George Mason University, USA.
The Routledge Handbook of Intercultural Mediation is a tour de force. This work is a dazzling achievement written with great skill by a global community of scholars, and whose usefulness will have a long life. This book makes a significant contribution toward nonviolent social change, especially when placed against the backdrop of the current urgencies of global pandemic and the horrors of war. Beginning with an initial review of the literature, the stage is set for current and future researchers and practitioners to reexamine how they (we) have thought about culture, conflict, and community. As the reader is invited to assume roles of observer and participant, an impressive gathering of international contributors explores diverse aspects of intercultural mediation as a process of dispute resolution, a byproduct of translation and pedagogy, and as a communicative or socio-political aspiration. These authors present a wide range of approaches, disciplines, voices, and perspectives that highlight, yet bring cohesion to disparate epistemological and methodological tensions. Mary Adams Trujillo, Professor Emerita of Communication Arts and Conflict Transformation, North Park University, USA.
Full of innovative approaches and observations, including alternatives to and critiques of a Western-only approach to mediation, this Handbook of Intercultural Mediation is a treatment of mediation that examines interculturality as it should be done- comprehensively, globally, and respectfully. This volume, appearing as the world struggles with the global impact of both epidemic and war, could hardly be more timely. It is unique in bringing both depth and breadth to the topic of intercultural mediation. Especially remarkable for the range of scales represented, from analyses of language to international politics, the volume is destined to be a touchstone for work in mediation, and for intercultural studies generally, for years to come. Geoffrey White, Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, University of Hawai’i, USA.
