Mediation through an intercultural communication lens

Abstract

The article examines intercultural communication theory for the purpose of considering to what extent this theory may be useful to mediation practitioners and researchers. Early theory associated with Edward T. Hall and Geert Hofstede, which posits cultural differences associated with national groups, has been very influential in intercultural training, including training for mediators. A second area of theorisation is prescriptive. This includes two very different but related approaches: theorisation about intercultural competence, and social justice approaches. The uses and drawbacks of Hofstedian and prescriptive approaches for mediators are considered. Two further intercultural communication theories are explored. ‘Small culture’, as theorized by Adrian Holliday, is about the developing norms and practices in a possibly ephemeral group. Intercultural discursive practice, of which a major exponent is Zhu Hua, comprises two key areas: examining how participants in an interaction ascribe cultural categories to one another, and how they negotiate cultural matters. It is proposed that ‘small culture’ and intercultural discursive approaches could be productive for culture-focused mediation researchers as well as useful for trainers and practitioners.