Mediation in North America

The primary purpose [of this paper] is to reflect on the premises and assumptions implicit in the interaction model generally adopted by North American mediation experts and proposed in their “doctrinal” materials as the proper way of managing conflict.

This is a study of the “subculture” of professional mediation. It will clarify how their definitions of the situation may produce crucial points of tension when directly exported to other cultures. It will also suggest key factors to be considered as mediation moves from one cultural setting to another, in and outside of the United States. As a point of reference, North American assumptions about the use of a third party will be compared with Latin American conceptions. Differences between them that may produce cultural dissonances will be examined by looking at what happens when one model of mediation is exported from this context to theirs…

This is a Comprehensive Examination Paper submitted to the Sociology Department of the University of Colorado, Boulder.