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Article published In:
Argumentative Style
Edited by Frans H. van Eemeren
[Journal of Argumentation in Context 10:1] 2021
► pp. 73–96

Mediators’ reframing as a constitutive element of a reconciliatory argumentative style

| USI – Università della Svizzera italiana
| USI – Università della Svizzera italiana

This paper shows that reframing of conflict can be considered as a constitutive element of a “reconciliatory argumentative style” (van Eemeren, 2019), which is typical of dispute mediators, whose aim is to steer parties towards the resolution of their conflict. On the basis of a systematic empirical analysis of mediation cases, we first show that reframing encompasses a change of issue, which may or may not be justified by arguments. Then, we show how it is functional to the three aspects of mediators’ strategic manoeuvring, being used consistently by mediators in their effort to help parties solve their conflict on the basis of reasonable discussion.

Keywords: strategic manoeuvring, argumentative style, reconciliatory style, dispute mediation, reframing
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical positioning: Reframing and argumentative style
    • 2.1A pragma-dialectical view of argumentative style
    • 2.2Dispute mediation as a genre
    • 2.3Reframing in mediation
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Empirical dataset
    • 3.2Analysis
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Mediators’ reframing as argumentation
    • 4.2Reframing as a constitutive element of a reconciliatory style
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 4 February 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jaic.20019.gre
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