Liberty University
COMS 560
Article 10 – Five Qualities of Practice in Support of Reconciliation Processes
The article chosen from the text for this week’s review is titled “Five Qualities of Practice
in Support of Reconciliation Processes,” written by John Paul Lederach. Reconciliation is an
important element when dealing with conflict. Within conflict resolution, reconciliation is the
process of forgiveness and working to move forward past the existing conflict situation.
Lederach opens the article by reminiscing on his desire to find a scholastic degree program in
conflict and peace studies (Helmick & Petersen, 2001). As he continues, he basically says that
people are coming up short on their understanding of the reconciliation process. However, ohe
does acknowledge that most have a decent understanding of the process, but believes there is a
lot left to be desired. “My experiences suggest that while our understandings are rich and varied,
they are miniscule compared to the complexities posed by the search for sustainable and
authentic reconciliation between people” (Helmick & Petersen, 2001, p.193-194). Lederach’s
main purpose of the article is to discuss the five qualities of practice to support reconciliation.
The first of the five qualities that Lederach describes is relationship-centric
reconciliation. Here, he chooses to look at relationships as a whole and how reconciliation takes
place in relationships. The defining quality to a relationship-centric form of reconciliation is the
practice of building trust. Trust is essential to the foundation of any relationship.
The second quality described is reconciliation as accompaniment. The example that
Lederach uses to explain this quality is the story of Jacob and Esau. “In the biblical account of
Jacob’s journey back toward his brother and enemy, Esau, begins with a voice in the night that
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says, ‘Return to your land. I will be with you.’” (Helmick & Petersen, 2001, p.197). In the case
of reconciliation, the emphasis of accompaniment is placed on presence and shared common
humanity, it’s the authenticity of commitment to be alongside the people in their journey.
Third is reconciliation and humility. Humility is constantly bound up with truth. In
practice, humility would begin with a context focus seeking to gauge and envision the setting
from within. Humility suggest a need to learn and accompany the building of process, rooted and
responsive to the context of the people.
Fourth, reconciliation as a restoring fabric to the community. The goal of this quality of
reconciliation is to move away from the idea of creating a space where one can “forgive and
forget.” Instead, it’s about a more challenging adventure of creating a space where individuals
and whole communities can remember and change.
Finally, the fifth quality of practice discussed is reconciliation as a wandering in a desert.
This quality suggests that there is a need for personal and community preparation. Under this
quality, it is also suggested that in our efforts to accompany and support reconciliation, we
should develop longer term lenses and commitments. A quick fix is a disserve to the affected
population.
This article by Lederach draws some very interesting points on the qualities of practice in
support of reconciliation processes. The article lets us know that our focus should be on the
people and their experience rather than results, in our effort to support reconciliation. The
strength of the article is that it was very well written and easy to follow. The article was also very
opinionated, which could be seem as both a strength and a weakness. Weak, in the fact that it
creates a bias. Strong, in the fact that the qualities can be applied to the personal experiences and
beliefs of the author.
