Research from conversation analysis on intercultural mediation

This chapter reviews conversation analytic research and shows how it can inform our understanding of intercultural mediation. Issues of language difference and native-speaker/non-native speaker interactions, cultural differences in the pragmatics of communication (e.g., turn taking, repair of misunderstandings), and embodied action (e.g., gestures) are addressed. In addition, cultural identities/membership categories such as religion and racial/ethnic group are explored in terms of how they may be made relevant and at times problematic for the interaction that occurs in mediation. How these intercultural issues impact the role of the mediator in intervening in the dispute in fair and constructive ways is also addressed, as are implications for further research.