Médiateurs interculturels, passerelles d'identités

Abstract

Margalit Cohen-Emerique et Sonia Fayman, « Intercultural mediators as bridges between identities » The analysis of thirty interviews of experienced mediators - both men and, especially, women - highlights the constructive process of intercultural mediation. When they design their interventions, these actors develop strategies based on two main dimensions: act as a third party and be a bridge between identities. Acting as a third party makes the mediators' role differ from the institutional actors' direct interventions within the family unit. As for being a bridge, mediators play this role when they foster communication and closeness not only among people, but also between distinct cultural worlds. Consequently, this specific mediation technique acts as a powerful means of mutual acculturation and possible shift in representations.