EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION.
ARTICLES.
A Path to Peace or Persistence? The “Single Identity” Approach to Conflict Resolution in Northern Ireland (Cheyanne Church, Anna Visser, Laurie Shepherd Johnson)
Especially in situations of long-term, seemingly intractable conflicts, the emphasis is often on bringing members of conflicting communities together to build relationships. This article discusses a different approach, the “single identity” model, that builds awareness within a group as preparation for work between groups. As the authors indicate, this model has advantages but also presents risks.
Exploring an Integrative Framework for Understanding Mediation (Cheryl A. Picard)
This study reveals that many mediators conceptualize their own practice in ways more complex than suggested by more dichotomized models of mediation often emphasized in current literature. The mediator’s practice orientation is further influenced by the mediator’s gender, educational background, dispute sector, and years as a mediator. These findings encouraged the author to suggest an integrated definition of mediation and to discuss the policy implications of emphasizing a more integrative view of mediation.
What Is Success in Ombuds Processes? Evaluation of a University Ombudsman (Tyler R. Harrison)
This qualitative longitudinal study of ombuds work in a university setting provides insights into various definitions of success and how these definitions are related to dispute characteristics.
COLLOQUY: “CAN WE TALK?” DEVELOPMENTS IN DIALOGUE THEORY AND PRACTICE.
The Transcendent Communication Project: Searching for a Praxis of Dialogue (Stephen W. Littlejohn)
The Transcendent Communication Project seeks to understand the praxis of dialogue from a communication perspective. This article gives an overview of the project and its theoretical roots and introduces valuable concepts, such as “scoping,” to further our ability to put dialogue theory into practice.
Using Intentional, Values-Based Dialogue to Engage Complex Public Policy Conflicts (Susan O’Malley Wade)
The Aspen Institute has developed the intentional, values-based dialogue as a tool for large-scale public policy disputes. This article presents the model and discusses its effectiveness in a variety of cases.
The “Listening to the City” Online Dialogues Experience: The Impact of a Full Value Contract (Steven N. Pyser, Cliff Figallo)
Facilitating dialogue is a difficult enterprise, especially when the forum for interaction reduces the facilitator’s conventional abilities to “connect” with participants. This is the challenge in facilitating online dialogue processes discussed in this article. The authors draw from their experiences facilitating the “Listening to the City” dialogues following the September 11, 2001, attacks and share their insights about the full-value contract tool and its impact on building trust in the process.
