The nature of intercultural mediation

Abstract

The development and growth in Europe of linguistic mediation, link-worker and cultural intermediation programmes have not followed the theoretical and conceptual foundations initially established. As a first step in a series of essays, the author aims to provide some food for thought on the nature and distintiveness of Intercultural Mediation. Although it can be understood simply as another form of mediation, it involves situations and contexts of «multicultural significance». The article reviews four of its distinguishing features: the ethnic and cultural differences of the parties involved, the effect of these differences on the existing relationship, the relevance of the mediator’s cultural background and the intercultural objective.