Enacting and Reproducing Social and Individual Identity through Mediation

Abstract

Mediation practices play a major role in shaping & defining cultural & individual identity. They are essentially social processes that embody the language, symbols, rituals, practices, & values of culture & at the same time create them. From examination of the discourse & stylized idioms used by Chinese-Malaysian mediators, cultural embodiment & reproduction were evident in their practices. In fact, the goals, values, & roles of the mediators & enactment of the mediation process as a social exchange stand in marked contrast to the normative model of mediation encouraged by Lawyers Engaged in Alternative Dispute Resolution (LEADR) & Charlton & Dewdney (1995).