The Foundation of Institutionalization

As I start my reflection this morning I feel I should indicate two important aspects of who I am so that you can receive a few of these comments knowing the particular biases I may carry. My life work has been in the area of peacebuilding and conflict transformation, and I am both a practitioner and an academic, although some of my students and colleagues complain that I am too much in the field and not enough in the classroom. Second, I am a sociologist by formal training, which when it comes to the topic of institutionalization may bring certain lenses, not the least of which is the Weberian influence I had early on that institutionalization driven by the need of institutions to survive focuses too much on rules, regulations, and gateways, and too little on the key question of what, for example makes practice and approach of mediation relevant, appropriate, effective, and sustainable. I am particularly interested in these latter questions of appropriateness and sustainability. I think it is relevant to the development of mediation practice in Nepal where I have had the privilege to accompany colleagues in the past few years. My reflections this morning will go more to what has been emerging from this experience of mediation at local levels in Nepal…