Preparing for Peace

Conflict Transformation Across Cultures

Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation Across Cultures
"Understanding conflict and developing appropriate models of handling it will necessarily be rooted in, and must respect and draw from, the cultural knowledge of a people."

Since the early 1980s John Paul Lederach has traveled worldwide as a mediation trainer and conflict resolution consultant. Currently the director of the International Conciliation Committee, he has worked with governments, justice departments, youth programs, and other groups in Latin America, the Philippines, Cambodia, as well as Asia and Africa.

Lederach blends a special training method in mediation with a tradition derived from his work in development. Throughout the book, he uses anecdote and pertinent experiences to demonstrate his resolution techniques. With an emphasis on the exchange involved in negotiation, Lederach conveys the key to successful conflict resolution: understanding how to guide disputants, transform their conflicts, and launch a process that empowers them.

Lederach, John Paul. Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation Across Cultures. Syracuse Studies on Peace and Conflict Resolution. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press, 1996.

This book has been translated into Arabic and Spanish.

read

Once downloaded, PDFs can be translated via Google Translate

connect

situate this material in the web of John Paul's vocational reflections

explore

related items you might be interested in

Conflict Transformation

An abridged version of the book, The Little Book of Conflict Transformation.

Local Mediation: A Transformative Approach to Conflict in Nepal

An article describing the emergence and transformative impact of a community mediation program in Nepal.

Beyond Prescription: Perspectives on Conflict, Culture, and Training

A manuscript written for the Inter-racial and Cross-cultural Conflict Resolution Project at Conrad Grebel College's Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.