Etetim Edem

Professor Soya

Com 1101

6 April 2017

Cross-cultural Conflict Resolution

In the United States of America today, it is common to come across humans from

multiple nationalities gathered in one place. Different languages, upbringings and backgrounds

now living around each other. Statistics show that one in four Americans is hispanic or a person

of colour (Williams, 1994). This clash of culture has led to what has become a major global

problem referred to as cross-cultural conflict. This phenomenon is definitely not a recent

development. In Africa and other continents and countries, culture clashes have been

commonplace. Thousands of different ethnic groups living in close proximity. The cases of

xenophobia and ethnocentrism on the African continent has spread to far away America.

In today's news, we have become accustomed to getting reports about violence and

conflict between many different communities and cultures. It is seemingly more and more

difficult to coexist here in America. What steps can be taken to reduce cross-cultural conflict in

the United States of America? The steps include but are not limited to Education of the masses is

a major step in cross-cultural conflict resolution. Dialogue is also another key step in the

resolution process. Proper legislation can also play a part in encouraging peaceful coexistence.

Conflicts do not necessarily produce disputes, and disputes do not necessarily arise

just because conflict is present (MacNaughton 1997).

In the United States of America, a lot of the time the conflicts that arise are sometimes just a

result of ignorance and or misconceptions. People do not have to even get in a dispute to begin to

react against one another. The most effective solution to this kind of problem is education of

both parties. Education closes the gap between cultures and encourages coexistence and peaceful

living.

Nigeria, a place with over 250 ethnic groups and languages seems like a cross-cultural

conflict hot zone but it is not. There are a few extremists here and there but the general majority

of the population is peacefully coexisting. From a young age kids are taught to never

discriminate based on ethnicity or language. Once they reach adulthood, the kids have a built in

acceptance for different cultures.

 Works Cited

Loode, Serge. "Navigating the Unchartered Waters of cross-cultural Conflict

Resolution Education." Conflict Resolution Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 1, 2011, pp.

65-84

MacNaughton, Ann L. "Cross-Cultural Conflict Resolution: Finding Common

Ground in Disputes Involving Value Conflicts." Willamette Law Review, vol.

33, no. 3, 1997, pp. 747.

Williams, Andrea. "Resolving Conflict in a Multicultural Environment." MCS

Conciliation Quarterly. Summer, 1994. Pp. 2-6.