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Cross-Cultural Mediation Essay

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Cross-Cultural Mediation
Introduction
This paper discusses a cross-cultural conflict scenario in which a mediator must apply the appropriate skills to resolve the conflict. In order to resolve these types of conflicts mediators must apply a non-bias approach to the conflict because the mediator must perceive and identify the cultural differences in order to appropriately resolve the conflict. The mediator must facilitate communication, and they must invoke trust with the disputants for successful cross-cultural conflict resolution.
The conflict discussed in this paper revolves around a custody dispute in which the disputing parties are a divorcing couple who are having conflict over the cultural difference in which each parent would …show more content…

The father’s family, which is of Islamic culture, has strong beliefs and expects all members of the family to accept and follow the teachings of the Qur’an. According to the father they will exile or disown a family member that does not live according to the Islamic laws. The mother’s family is Christian and believes in the morals and values set forth in the Holy Bible. They are accepting to all cultures but have reservations about their granddaughter being raised Islamic primarily because they fear she will be isolated from society. Since the couple has divorced there has been little communication between the two families.
As the mediator I am a thirty four year old female and mother of five. I was raised around many cultures growing up with a similar cultural background of the female disputant. This conflict can be particularly complex for myself as mediator because of the potential bias that can occur with cultural differences. Even though I share similarities with the mother as mediator I must bring a non-bias perception to the resolution process and try to view the conflict from both parties’ sides with a resolution that satisfies both parties and the child. “Parties who perceived mediator bias in favor of the other party were much less accepting of the mediator’s actions.”(Poitras, 2009) The parties must have trust in the mediator if the dispute resolution

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