Mediation and dialogue research

Based on the war in Ukraine, the research project brings together various theoretical-conceptual and methodological-operational approaches to dialogue and mediation in polarised international and intra-societal conflicts, develops these further in a targeted manner and feeds them into relevant contexts of action.

This project links various strands of research on dialogues in Ukraine, dealing with dilemmas and conflicting goals in conflict mediation and municipal dialogues in Germany. Municipalities are a crucial space when it comes to social conflicts, especially in connection with major transformation processes: This is where the transformation of society takes place in the immediate professional and personal reality of life, where conflicts are dealt with locally, and where direct dialogue and practical solutions are possible – and often absolutely necessary. However, there are often no institutionalised formats for this, especially when the conflicts polarise and a clash develops between socially unconnected, real-life diverse groups. This is particularly the case when it comes to sensitive local political issues such as migration, the energy transition, the transport transition, urban-rural cooperation, combating the pandemic, etc. However, there is a lack of suitable forms of communication (formats and methods) for communal coexistence that can be used to constructively address polarising transformations.

The Institute for Conflict Management exchanges ideas with civil society actors, develops transfer-oriented formats and methods and tests these in its own events in the cross-sectional area of "dialogue and transformation".