Mediation, the facilitated discussion of disputes and conflicts, is a
flexible approach that can be used at all levels of intervention to move
us toward a global peace that is both inclusive and fair. Moving Toward
a Just Peace: The Mediation Continuum, edited by Jan Marie Fritz*,*
brings together mediators, scholar-practitioners, and a veteran diplomat
to discuss the life and times of mediation in very different settings.
The 13 chapters include three essays about culture, creativity, and
models/theories/approaches. And there are ten chapters about practice:
community mediation, mediation by police, special education mediation;
interventions on behalf of widows in Nigeria; capacity-building work in
Burundi; mediation in Israel; the creative facilitation of meetings;
community conferencing; UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (Women and
Peace and Security) and the role of civil society organizations in
peacebuilding.
This volume discusses the expanding roles (from prevention through
societal transformation) assumed by mediators and the urgent need for
mediators working at different intervention levels to learn from each
other. This volume is a must read for the scholars, researchers,
policymakers, civil society representatives and practitioners with
interests in effective dispute and conflict intervention. It
particularly is recommended for those managing dispute and conflict
intervention processes.