Conflict Across Cultures: A Unique Experience of Bridging Differences

241 Pages·2006·1.85 MB·English

by  Venashri Pillay

Praise forConflict across Cultures
and Michelle LeBaron and Venashri Pillay
“Conflict across Culturesis a rare breed ofwork combining theory and
practice,real-life stories and metaphor,critical analysis and holistic
approaches.The end result is a book that is remarkably readable,and even
more valuable for its contribution to understanding the problems that
underpin virtually every major conflict in the world today.
This is one ofthe few works on culture and conflict resolution that actually
practices what it preaches.The authors have drawn on their own cultural
diversity to produce a framework that can be used by conflict resolution
practitioners and laypeople from all walks oflife.”
—Ambassador John W.McDonald,
Chairman,The Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy
“Learning to handle cross-cultural conflict is emerging as a central problem
in human relations.And no one is better qualified to describe the intricate
ins and outs ofthat learning process than the extraordinary—and
extraordinarily honest—team that has written Conflict across Cultures.”
—Christopher Honeyman
Conflict Management Consultant and Co-Editor,The Negotiator’s Fieldbook
“LeBaron and colleagues fused,with elegance,their substantial knowledge
in the fields ofpeace,conflict and culture with stories and experiences,and
artistic imagination which made reading this book like a walk in a terrain,
or a swim in a river … with pleasant friends.”
—Amr Abdalla,Ph.D.
Professor and Dean for Academic Programmes
University for Peace
United Nations Affiliated University
“Conflict across Culturesteaches how each ofus can build bridges across
the chasms that separate different cultures.With insights born ofrich
experiences,the authors explore metaphor,ritual and storytelling to help
people understand one another,and by helping us to recognize what is
sacred to others,they help us to find our own sacred ground.”
—Dr.Mary-Wynne Ashford
International Physicians for the Prevention ofNuclear War

CONFLICT
ACROSS CULTURES

CONFLICT
ACROSS CULTURES
A Unique
Experience of
Bridging
Differences
Michelle LeBaron
and Venashri Pillay
First published by Intercultural Press,a division ofNicholas Brealey Publishing,in 2006.
Intercultural Press,a division of
Nicholas Brealey Publishing Nicholas Brealey Publishing
100 City Hall Plaza,Suite 501 3-5 Spafield Street,Clerkenwell
Boston,MA 02108 USA London,EC1R 4QB,UK
Tel:+ 617-523-3801 Tel:[phone]
Fax:+ 617-523-3708 Fax:[phone]
www.interculturalpress.com www.nbrealey-books.com
© 2006 by Michelle LeBaron and Venashri Pillay
All rights reserved.No part ofthis publication may be reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission from the publisher,except in the case ofbrief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Printed in the United States ofAmerica
10 09 08 07 06 1 2 3 4 5
ISBN-13:978-1-931930-22-2
ISBN-10:1-931930-22-8
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Conflict across cultures:a unique experience ofbridging differences / [edited by] Michelle
LeBaron and Venashri Pillay.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13:978-1-931930-22-2
ISBN-10:1-931930-22-8
1.Culture conflict. 2.Conflict management. 3.Multiculturalism. 4.Intercultural
communication. 5.Cross-cultural orientation. I.LeBaron,Michelle,1956- II.Pillay,
Venashri.
HM1121.C66453 2006
305.8—dc22
2006020995
To those who share the possible
dream ofcelebrating differences
in all their richness.

Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Preface xiii
Chapter One Crossing Boundaries 1
Venashri Pillay and Michelle LeBaron
Images ofOurselves:Differences and Connections 2
Forming Our Ideas on Culture and Conflict Resolution 6
A Map through Rough Terrain 7
Deepening the Colors:Expanding Awareness of
Conflict and Culture 8
Chapter Two Conflict, Culture, and Images of Change 11
Michelle LeBaron and Venashri Pillay
Conflict and Culture:Mapping the Terrain 12
Culture and Conflict:Intertwined Inextricably 15
Connecting Culture and Conflict Resolution 19
Chapter Three Culture: Exploring the River 25
Venashri Pillay
Dare We Define Culture? 25
How Culture Works 29
Guiding Lights:Cultural Starting Points 32
Constructing Cultural Flowers:When Starting Points Overlap 48
Using Our Multicultural Selves 55
Chapter Four A Journey Toward Cultural Fluency 57
Tatsushi (Tats) Arai
Cultural Fluency 58
Anticipatory Capacity:Expecting Uncertainties in
Cross-cultural Turbulence 63
Embeddedness:Rediscovering Myselfin the Mirror of
Cultural Others 66
Expressive Capacity:Describing Indescribable Feelings 72
Navigational Capacity:Sailing across Turbulent Waters 76
The Way Forward 79
ix