Dialogic mediation in international groups of adolescents

Abstract

Mediation is the action of a third party that helps two conflicting parties to reach a mutually acceptable settlement. This action implies promoting the parties’ empowerment and new narratives by facilitating their communication. The analysis of dialogue, and in particular of mediators’ dialogic actions in the interaction, is a way to gain an empirical knowledge of mediation. It shows the ways in which dialogue may promote empowerment and new narratives, enhancing active participation and sensitivity of the participants in interaction. This kind of analysis is applied to international camps for peace promotion involving small groups of adolescents from different countries. In particular, videorecordings and transcriptions of group meetings make it possible to highlight the kinds of dialogic actions used to help adolescents to keep their turns, as well as to support their initiatives and coordinate their reflections, thus managing their conflicts. By looking at how meditators use language in the interaction, research can help improving the theory and practice of mediation.