Learning New Dances: Finding Effective Ways to Address Intercultural Disputes.

Source: (2004) In Catherine Bell and David Kahane, eds, Intercultural Dispute Resolution in Aboriginal Contexts. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press. Pp. 11-27.

This chapter is about moving beyond these unsatisfactory dances. It identifies limitations of current approaches in the field of conflict resolution and suggests ways to enhance intercultural competence in training and practice. These ideas will be useful only to the extent that they are combined with a meaningful acknowledgement of ways that racism and privilege have shaped Canadian institutions, including courts, bureaucracies, and the laws themselves. Unless they are confronted, these values will continue to influence alternatives to our court system, including negotiation, mediation, and other conflict resolution processes. One way of confronting the privilege implicit in designing and implementing conflict resolution processes is to examine what is missing from our approaches. (excerpt)