The project examines social interaction in Finnish mediation of criminal and civil cases. The study aims to deconstruct the image of the "speaker" in discussions mediated by a third party by examining how the participants’ contributions to the discussion are co-constructed and shaped by the participation of others. This is analyzed using the notion of the ‘distributed speaker’ (e.g., Goodwin 2017).
The study examines both Finnish-language and interpreted, multilingual mediation. The data consist of video recordings, written documents, and interviews. The main methods used in the analysis are conversation analysis and interactional linguistics.
The study offers new perspectives on the division of labor in mediation discussions, for example, regarding conceptions of the autonomy of the parties and the neutrality and impartiality of mediators. The study also aims to generate new knowledge about interactional practices in mediation that can be applied to training and development.
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Plural Research Centre
Plural is home to research groups and researchers specialising in linguistics, translation studies, literary and cultural scholarship, fostering unique collaborations among neighbouring disciplines. At the heart of Plural’s research community is a shared interest in exploring how language and culture drive social change.