This book examines mediation in connection with peacebuilding in the Asia-Pacific region, providing practical examples which either highlight the weaknesses within certain mediation approaches or demonstrate best-practice.
The authors explore the extent to which current ideas and practices of mediation in the Asia-Pacific region are dominated by Western understandings and critically challenge the appropriateness of such thinking. Featuring a range of case studies on Fiji, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, this book has three main aims:
Making a unique contribution to peace and conflict studies literature by explicitly linking mediation and peacebuilding practices, this book is a vital text for students and scholars in these fields.
List of Contributors Foreword Abbreviations Introduction – Elisabeth Porter and Dale Bagshaw Part I: Reconsidering Mediation, Peacebuilding and Culture 1. Challenging Western constructs of mediation – Dale Bagshaw 2. Peacebuilding: women peaceworkers – Elisabeth Porter and Danielle Every 3. Speaking across difference: Native Title mediation and peacebuilding in Australia – Toni Bauman Part II: Building Peace in the Asia-Pacific Region: Pacific Islands 4. Mediation of public policy disputes in Fiji Islands - Graham Hassall 5. A few more arrows: strengthening mediative capacity in Vanuatu - Polly Walker and Chief Selwyn Garu 6. Creative peacebuilding: experiences from Bougainville – Alan Campbell Part III: Building Peace in the Asia-Pacific Region: Asia 7. Mediation of marital disputes in Muslim families in Malaysia – Dale Bagshaw 8. Transforming conflict and building peace in Cambodia – Damien Coghlan 9. Transforming conflict in international projects in Vietnam – Wendy Poussard 10. Listening with the ear, eye and heart: conflict transformation in China – Diane Bretherton and Han Zhaoying 11. Mediating contemporary, severe multicultural and religious conflicts in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand - Bruce Barnes and Fatahillah Abdul Syukur