Mediation in the Asia-Pacific Region

<p>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.</p><p>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:</p><ul> <p> </p> <li>To challenge dominant Western practices and ways of thinking on mediation that currently are being imposed in the Asia-Pacific region;</li> <p> </p> <li>To develop culturally-fluent and socially just mediation alternatives that build upon local, traditional or religious approaches; </li> <p> </p> <li>To situate mediation within ideas and practices on peacebuilding. </li> </ul><p>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.</p> <p>List of Contributors. Foreword. Abbreviations. Introduction <em>Elisabeth Porter and Dale Bagshaw</em> <strong>Part 1: Reconsidering Mediation, Peacebuilding and Culture </strong> 1. Challenging Western Constructs of Mediation <em>Dale Bagshaw</em> 2. Peacebuilding: Women Peaceworkers <em>Elisabeth Porter and Danielle Every</em> 3. Speaking across Difference: Native Title Mediation and Peacebuilding in Australia <em>Toni Bauman</em> <strong>Part 1: Building Peace in the Asia-Pacific Region: Pacific Islands</strong> 4. Mediation of Public Policy Disputes in Fiji Islands <em>Graham Hassall</em> 5. A Few More Arrows: Strengthening Mediative Capacity in Vanuatu <em>Polly Walker and Chief Selwyn Garu</em> 6. Creative Peacebuilding: Experiences from Bougainville <em>Alan Campbell</em> <strong>Part 3: Building Peace in the Asia-Pacific Region: Asia </strong> 7. Mediation of Marital Disputes in Muslim Families in Malaysia <em>Dale Bagshaw</em> 8. Transforming Conflict and Building Peace in Cambodia <em>Damien Coghlan</em> 9. Transforming Conflict in International Projects in Vietnam <em>Wendy Poussard</em> 10. Listening with the Ear, Eye and Heart: Conflict Transformation in China <em>Diane Bretherton and Han Zhaoying </em> 11. Mediating Contemporary, Severe Multicultural and Religious Conflicts in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand <em>Bruce Barnes and Fatahillah Abdul Syukur</em></p>