elicitive approach

Inspired by Latin American practitioners like Paulo Freire and Orlando Fals Borda alongside critical reflection of his own training practices in diverse cultural settings, John Paul identified a continuum of approaches ranging between two ideal-type models: prescriptive and elicitive. Whereas the prescriptive model is based on transferring content from one setting to another, the elicitive approach explores cultural resources and expands local innovations in any given setting. This approach builds from participatory action research, which comprised a significant element of John Paul’s accompaniment of peacebuilding from early years in Central America to later iterations in Nepal. The writings featured in this section explore the emergence and application of an elicitive approach, primarily between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s.

journal article

Building Mediative Capacity in Deep-Rooted Conflict

An article making the case that the nature, purpose, and construction of mediation must be reconsidered toward the nurturing of social mediative capacity.

2002

interview

“In Conversation”: John Paul and Gladys Ganiel

A conversation at the 2021 4 Corners Festival reflecting on peacebuilding and conflict transformation through John Paul's career past and present.

2021

diagram

Elicitive/Catalyst: The Creation of Appropriate Models

A model outlining the goals, roles, and fundamental elements involved in a "pure elicitive" conflict resolution training process.

1996

diagram

Key Steps in the Elicitive Model

A figure that depicts the elements in the process of elicitive training.

1996

document

Seeking Help: An Elicitive Exercise

An opening exercise for mediation training that seeks to illuminate cultural understandings around navigating conflict and mediation.

1994

document

Storyboarding in Model Creation

A tool to facilitate the discovery and creation of mediation models that may be implicit in a culture.

1994

document

“Yes, But Are They Talking?”: Some Thoughts on the Trainer as Student

Reflections emergent from cross-cultural conflict and mediation training in Latin America.

1987

forward

Foreword, The Bernal Story

A foreword written for The Bernal Story, a firsthand account of the transformation of a community conflict in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California.

2014

diagram

Prescriptive/Elicitive Training

A diagram illustrating the spectrum of training approaches in conflict resolution from purely prescriptive to purely elicitive.

2000