Adaptations to the civil mediation model: Suggestions from research into the approaches to conflict resolution used in the Twin Cities' Cambodian community

Abstract

AbstractA nonprofit organization in Minnesota researched approaches to conflict used by persons within the African American, Hmong, and Cambodian communities in the Twin Cities. This article focuses on the Cambodian community. The research suggests that although discussion is used most often to resolve conflicts, withdrawal is also a frequent and culturally accepted response to conflict. In addition, the research suggests that Cambodians prefer third parties (including mediators) who are people with somewhat more stature in the community than the disputants themselves. Finally, the data suggest that Cambodians prefer that third parties intervene in an evaluative way rather than a facilitative way. The article explores how these results may argue for modifications in the selection of mediators and the mediation process itself.