Bridging the Divide: Cross-Cultural Mediation

The article strives to contribute to the growing field of conflict resolution by analyzing contrasting cross-cultural perceptions through insights from multiple areas to resolve intercultural conflicts and disputes. Western-centric mediation techniques are dissected in juxtaposition to indigenous methodologies in degrees of (1) substantiality and its prominence in indigenous communities; (2) connectivity in the ability for these methodologies to resonate within other cultures; and (3) determinism through application to aid in the manifestation of possible resolutions. By analyzing various global indigenous systems, we argue individualistic and collectivist mediation techniques often lack synergy between peoples in cross-cultural conflicts, which can lead to miscommunication. In this paper, we present the Cross-Cultural Mediation Model and methodology for managing conflict that incorporates a wide variety of mediation techniques found throughout the world at every level of society.