Premium
The politics of community mediation: A study of community mediation in Israel
Author(s) -
LiOn Lee
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
conflict resolution quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.323
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1541-1508
pISSN - 1536-5581
DOI - 10.1002/crq.243
Subject(s) - mediation , politics , multiculturalism , context (archaeology) , perspective (graphical) , power (physics) , sociology , affect (linguistics) , intervention (counseling) , public relations , social psychology , epistemology , political science , psychology , social science , law , pedagogy , computer science , paleontology , philosophy , physics , communication , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , psychiatry , biology
What is community mediation (CM), and how does it affect communities? Drawing on research that examined the politics of CM in the context of a complex, multicultural setting, this article portrays CM as a multifaceted discourse that stakeholders may use to achieve their particular goals. CM, it is suggested, is linked to multiple sources of power and is used by both state and residents to make contesting social claims. This article challenges the apolitical view of CM and its capacity to explain the complex character of power. It proposes considering CM from another perspective, suggesting that examining CM as discourse enables a broader understanding of its social role and significance and facilitates development of appropriate practice. The author suggests that to be socially meaningful CM should be practiced within a broader approach, in terms of social intervention, based on informed, context‐related training and practice. Such an approach requires that the role, policies, and practices of community mediation programs (CMPs), and mediators' roles and training, be reconsidered.