African Americans in mediation literature: A neglected population

Abstract

This article examines mediation literature for the presence of culturally specific literature on the African American population in the United States. A review of mediation literature has exposed a culturally specific literature‐based void that has not empirically investigated African Americans as the primary subject in terms of practice and research‐related aspects of the mediation process. This article explores how the neglect of this population in the literature has negative implications for practice and research.

Identity and Culture in Ombudsman Practice

“…Identity and cultural issues are always present in ombudsman interactions, although they may not be readily apparent. The serious lack of minority practitioners and perceptions of Eurocentric bias have long been sources of concern within the field of mediation, as have concerns about differences of class, language, and ethnic background (Hairston ). Therefore, our approach must be to understand the implications of these issues and to create strategies for addressing them.…”

Exploring the intragroup conflict constructs and behaviors of African American public school children in an inner‐city conflict resolution education (CRE) program

“…provide the impetus for those intergroup interactions. Accordingly, Hairston (1999) argues that too little research on the conflict orientations of groups with nonmajority cultural experiences has led to a "culturally specific void" (p. 357) in the CR literature; thus, the knowledge and skills of CR practitioners as they relate to diverse perspectives are left wanting. The consequences of this void became apparent during the National Conference on Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution's (NCPCR) Cultural Bridges Coalition meeting when Native, African, Latin, and Asian American participants indicated that with regard to "cultural competence," mainstream conflict resolution processes mandated "vast adaptations" on their parts (Baker, French, Trujillo, and Wing, 2000).…”

“…[Yet], there is much less research done and even published on the effect of conflict resolution education on diverse populations, let alone from the perspective of those from diverse populations" (Baker, French, Trujillo, and Wing, 2000, p. 64). Hairston (1999) proposes that the absence of culturally specific research and literature produces a "hegemonic control of knowledge" and "renders issues of concern to African Americans unimportant and unworthy of scholarly attention" (p. 362).…”

“…From 1999 to 2001, the research-driven Consortium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (CNCR) initiated a series of case studies of inner-city African American public school children to discern any conflict constructs and behaviors that were apparent in the children's intragroup interactions. The consortium was motivated along this line of inquiry on the basis of (1) the perceived void in conflict resolution education literature with regard to targeting the values, needs, and interests of members of discrete, traditionally disenfranchised groups (Hairston, 1999;Baker, French, Trujillo, and Wing, 2000;and Bowland, 2000);…”