Is Transformative Dialogue a Possible and Justifiable Intervention for Resolving Intractable Conflicts?

Abstract

The world is suffering from intractable conflicts. Societies and families are torn apart and individuals are threatened in their existence. In this article, three controverses are explored about how to deal with intractable conflicts. In taking a closer look, these intractable conflicts can be understood as “identity-related.” It can be shown that this identity dimension of a conflict is not sufficiently addressed by argumentation and negotiation. Still, accepting that some differences in value and belief seem so fundamentally incompatible that we should give up striving for a solution need not be the conclusion. There are decades of positive reports of practical experience with various transformative methods on a microscale available that can be taken on to develop interventions to solve intractable conflicts on a societal level. Is it possible and justifiable to develop and institutionalize “transformation” as a third general approach next to argumentation and negotiation? Can interventions aiming at a transformation of self-understanding and identity be introduced without manipulation and infringement of autonomy?