Mediation, power, and cultural difference

In Western mediation practice, conflict and violence are typically seen as destructive and unhelpful ways ofbeing, and this does not allow for the constitutive and productive role of conflict in many non‐Westerntraditions. The playing out of these assumptions in mediation practice effects an operation of power that isparticularly significant in intercultural mediations. Explicit and implicit mediator techniques lead disputantsin intercultural mediations to behave in ways consistent with the goals of mediation and Western norms aroundconflict and selfhood. The specificity of this analysis means that the findings are indicative and explorativerather than comprehensive. Nevertheless, the results highlight the need to consider ways in which researchersand mediators can begin to mitigate this operation of power and respond to cultural difference in ethicalways.