Process Pluralism without Borders

This essay celebrates Carrie Menkel-Meadow’s extraordinary contribution to the study of mediation beyond the United States. It argues that process pluralism, the concept she coined and developed over four decades, is not merely a description of a desirable justice system; it is an inherently culturally sensitive framework. Its foundational principle, that “one size does not fit all”, applies as much across legal cultures as across case types. Drawing on Carrie’s sustained engagement with cultural variation on her visits to the University of Haifa, where she co-taught a course on peacebuilding in the Middle East with Jewish and Arab students, and on the subsequent development of dispute resolution education and practice in Israel, this essay traces how process pluralism travels, adapts, and takes root in new contexts without losing its core commitment to justice. Keywords: process pluralism; cultural sensitivity; legal transplants; mediation; Carrie Menkel-Meadow; ADR; Israel; Middle East; comparative dispute resolution.