ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I attend to the global crises and concomitant conflicts we face as a result of neoliberal globalization and address the distinctly interconnected, contradictory and inequitable conditions in which intercultural communication occurs today. The art and discipline of nonviolence, as practiced by Dr. Martin Luther King. is proposed as a critical theoretical and methodological approach to address the violence that underpins intercultural conflicts in the neoliberal global context. “Person power” is understood as nonviolence grounded in individuals who are autonomous yet interconnected each on a path toward their fullest humanity. This power, “satyagraha” or “soul force” cultivated through the discipline of nonviolence in intrapersonal, interpersonal and inter-group situations has the power to dismantle the three evils of racism, poverty and militarism and create the “beloved community.” The principles of nonviolence are highlighted within the intercultural praxis model to provide a framework of analysis, reflection and action regarding intercultural conflict on the interpersonal and social levels. A scenario is introduced to illustrate how the intercultural praxis model informed by the philosophy and methodology of nonviolence provides a roadmap for moving intercultural conflict toward reconciliation and the beloved community.
