Abstracts
Abstract
Mediation is becoming a more peaceful and internationally accepted solution for solving conflicts. It is a dynamic and interactive process where a neutral third party that is the mediator assists disputing parties in resolving conflict. Normally, there is an assumption that the mediator will remain neutral. This thesis explores the neutral posture of the mediator when dealing with inter-cultural mediation. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the understanding and implementation of neutrality of the intercultural mediator in practice. The research questions focused on the mediator’s perceptions, interpretations, conceptions, implementation and effectiveness of the neutrality posture at mediation. Ten face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with intercultural mediators hailing from diverse geographical locations. Data were coded and analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that intercultural mediators have different views of neutrality in mediation. Moreover, they adopt the meaning and posture of neutrality according to their self-determination in practice. An alternative discourse for this study should be to frame a standard meaning to the term of neutrality by giving its absolute significance in mediation.
Keywords:
- Inter-cultural Mediation,
- Neutrality posture,
- Mediator,
- Meanings,
- practice
Résumé
La médiation devient une solution plus pacifique et acceptée au niveau international pour résoudre les conflits. Il s’agit d’un processus dynamique et interactif dans lequel un tiers neutre, le médiateur, aide les parties en conflit à résoudre le conflit. Normalement, on part du principe que le médiateur restera neutre. Cette thèse explore la posture neutre du médiateur face à la médiation interculturelle. Le but de cette étude qualitative était d’examiner la compréhension et la mise en oeuvre de la neutralité du médiateur interculturel dans la pratique. Les questions de recherche portaient sur les perceptions, les interprétations, les conceptions, la mise en oeuvre et l’efficacité du médiateur lors de la médiation. Dix entretiens semi-structurés en face-à-face ont été menés avec des médiateurs interculturels originaires de diverses zones géographiques. Les données ont été codées et analysées par analyse thématique. Les résultats de l’étude ont révélé que les médiateurs interculturels ont des visions différentes de la neutralité de la médiation. De plus, ils adoptent le sens et la posture de neutralité en fonction de leur autodétermination dans la pratique. Un discours alternatif pour cette étude devrait être de donner un sens standard au terme de neutralité en lui donnant sa signification absolue dans la médiation.
Mots-clés :
- Médiation interculturelle,
- Posture de neutralité,
- Médiateur,
- Significations,
- Pratique
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Appendices
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