Staying True in Nepal

This chapter explores the use of participatory action research as a method to deepen the practice of mediation at village level in rural Nepal. Mediation, initially introduced with a strong Western orientation, evolved through the practice and response to daily conflict, during and after the civil war. In its early inception the program was framed as an “access to justice” initiative. The modalities and decisions by which the mediation centers were established in local communities and the actual practice of mediators suggested significant variance from the way both trainers and mediators described their work and was seen as contributing to wider social transformation in ways that went beyond access to the legal system. Conducted with district and village-level mediators and trainers the research design and outcome demonstrated important insights into both how and why mediation practices were effective and led to significant changes in the training materials and approach. Discussion of how participatory action research impacted the participants concludes the chapter.