Constructive Conflicts
From Emergence to Transformation
6th Edition
Published on 22. July 2022
Book
Paperback/Softback
378 pages
978-1-5381-6100-5 (ISBN)
Description
Substantially revised for the sixth edition, Constructive Conflicts explains how large-scale political and social conflicts can be waged more constructively, with more positive consequences and fewer destructive consequences for those involved. Drawing on research from political science, sociology, social-psychology, neuroscience, cultural studies, and other disciplines, Dayton and Kriesberg follow the lifecycle of social and political conflicts as they emerge, escalate, de-escalate, become settled, and often emerge again in new forms.
The sixth edition presents numerous new examples and cases of conflict episodes that have avoided extreme coercion or violence and which have resulted in the advancement of the interests of most parties involved. The book gives policymakers, concerned citizens, and students a powerful analytical framework, supported by data, for understanding and constructively intervening in conflicts of different type and scale, offering a way out of the destructive cycles of conflict management which have come to characterize contemporary social and political relations.
Key revisions and features include:
Increased attention to changes in the social and political landscape including the rise of nationalism, the erosion of liberal internationalism, conflicts related to COVID response, political polarization, and the Black Lives Matter movementThoroughly revised cases and examples throughoutKey content revisions such as the growth of bottom-up strategies for peace and conflict management, the rise of misinformation in a 'post-truth' era, and insights from neuroscience Table of contents now organized around three distinct book sections and chapter titles revised to reflect new contentNumerous new figures and tables in every chapterEnd-of-chapter summaries, discussion questions, and activitiesNew ancillary teaching materials, including experiential exercises, simulations, and lecture outlines with teaching tips
The sixth edition presents numerous new examples and cases of conflict episodes that have avoided extreme coercion or violence and which have resulted in the advancement of the interests of most parties involved. The book gives policymakers, concerned citizens, and students a powerful analytical framework, supported by data, for understanding and constructively intervening in conflicts of different type and scale, offering a way out of the destructive cycles of conflict management which have come to characterize contemporary social and political relations.
Key revisions and features include:
Increased attention to changes in the social and political landscape including the rise of nationalism, the erosion of liberal internationalism, conflicts related to COVID response, political polarization, and the Black Lives Matter movementThoroughly revised cases and examples throughoutKey content revisions such as the growth of bottom-up strategies for peace and conflict management, the rise of misinformation in a 'post-truth' era, and insights from neuroscience Table of contents now organized around three distinct book sections and chapter titles revised to reflect new contentNumerous new figures and tables in every chapterEnd-of-chapter summaries, discussion questions, and activitiesNew ancillary teaching materials, including experiential exercises, simulations, and lecture outlines with teaching tips
Reviews / Votes
As with previous editions, the sixth edition of Constructive Conflicts provides a framework for understanding social conflict as a potential support for productive social change. With Dayton replacing Kriesberg as first author, the structure of the book has now been helpfully organized into four parts. Substantively, this new edition now marks the beginning of conflict at emergence rather than escalation, highlighting the potential for resolving conflicts before they grow violent. Additionally, it extends the end of conflict from resolution to transformation, emphasizing the potential of constructive conflict to transform societies when former opponents cooperate productively. Recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals. * Choice Reviews * Constructive Conflicts by Bruce W. Dayton and Louis Kriesberg is a new classic. It is an indispensable synthesis of what we know about conflicts and how they can be approached constructively. Their new tag line From Emergence to Transformation captures well the dynamism that invites responsibility. Conflicts are not a given, something that 'just happens.' They are the product of human choices and trends, complex interactions that must be understood and responded to with commitment, competence, and compassion. This Sixth Edition is a jewel, a must read for any scholar, student, and practitioner open to seek what is possible and good for all. -- Andrea Bartoli, President, Sant'Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue This new edition of a standard-setting work in the field of conflict studies brings the authors' insights into contact with some of the most salient recent developments and challenges in the field. Using fresh cases and a reconfigured approach to grasping conflict roots, the authors stimulate much needed reflection while remaining grounded in the vast literature of conflict studies. The addition of updated cases and new study questions at the conclusion of each chapter enable readers to apply the book's concepts to today's world. -- Chester A. Crocker, Emeritus Professor, Georgetown University Louis Kriesberg and Bruce Dayton have helped us to understand and untangle the complex web of conflict ever since their first seminal book came out in 1998. Its lessons about the transforming harmful and destructive relations into constructive ones are ever more important for our polarized world. An essential book for today's students, activists, and policymakers. -- Pamela Aall, American University; and Senior Advisor, Conflict Prevention and Management, United States Institute of PeaceMore details
Edition
6th edition
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
College/higher education
US School Grade: From College Freshman to College Graduate Student, Interest Age: From 18 to 22 years
Illustrations
6 tables; 10 charts
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
616 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5381-6100-5 (9781538161005)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
07/2022
6th Edition
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
€49.49
Available for download
Persons
Bruce W. Dayton (Ph.D., Syracuse University) serves as associate professor and chair of the Master of Peace and Justice Leadership, the Master of Diplomacy and International Relations, and Director of the CONTACT Peacebuilding Institute at the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont, USA. Professor Dayton has been active in peacebuilding and conflict transformation work for over twenty years as a practitioner, a researcher, and an educator. His other books include Perspectives in Waging Conflicts Constructively and Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation, each co-authored with Louis Kriesberg. Bruce also served for six years as Executive Director of the International Society for Political Psychology and as Associate at the Center for Policy Negotiation in Boston, Massachusetts where he ran policy-dialogues on pressing public policy controversies.
Louis Kriesberg (Ph.D., University of Chicago) is professor emeritus of Sociology, Maxwell Professor Emeritus of Social Conflict Studies, and founding director of the Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts (1986-1994), all at Syracuse University. In addition to over 160 book chapters and articles, he is the author or editor of numerous books on conflict studies. He was President of the Society for the Study of Social Problems (1983-1984), and he lectures, consults, and provides training regarding conflict resolution, security issues, and peace studies.
Louis Kriesberg (Ph.D., University of Chicago) is professor emeritus of Sociology, Maxwell Professor Emeritus of Social Conflict Studies, and founding director of the Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts (1986-1994), all at Syracuse University. In addition to over 160 book chapters and articles, he is the author or editor of numerous books on conflict studies. He was President of the Society for the Study of Social Problems (1983-1984), and he lectures, consults, and provides training regarding conflict resolution, security issues, and peace studies.
Content
List of Figures and Tables
Preface
PART ONE: CONFLICT ANALYSIS AND CONFLICT THEORY
Chapter 1. The Constructive Conflicts Approach
Plan for the Book and Intended Audience
Conflict Definitions
Six Foundational Ideas
Varieties of Conflicts
Combinations Constituting Destructiveness and Constructiveness
Summary and Discussion Questions
Chapter 2. Preconditions: Three Perspectives on the Origin of Conflicts
Human Nature
Sociocultural Relations
System Attributes
Synthesis
Summary and Discussion Questions
PART TWO: CONFLICT EMERGENCE AND CONFLICT STRATEGIES
Chapter 3. Emergence
Identity
Grievance
Forming Contentious Goals
Believing Redress is Possible
Summary and Discussion Questions
Chapter 4. Alternative Conflict Strategies: Coercion, Reward, and Persuasion
Choosing Strategies
Coercion, Reward, and Persuasion
Strategies and Modes of Struggle
Illustrative Strategies
Summary and Discussion Questions
Chapter 5. Adopting Conflict Strategies
Conflict Style
Partisan Goals
Partisan Characteristics
Relations between Adversaries
Social Context
Summary and Discussion Questions
PART THREE: CONFLICT ESCALATION AND DE-ESCALATION
Chapter 6. Escalation
Processes of Escalation
Summary and Discussion Questions
Chapter 7. De-Escalation
Social-Psychological Dynamics
Organizational and Tactical Dynamics
Systemic and Structural Dynamics
De-Escalation Strategies
Summary and Discussion Questions
PART FOUR: MEDIATION, NEGOTIATION, AND POST-CONFLICT OUTCOMES
Chapter 8. Mediation
Definitions, Applications, and Benefits
Social Roles
Shapers of Mediator Roles
Assessing Mediator Contributions
Summary and Discussion Questions
Chapter 9. Negotiated and Non-Negotiated Settlements
Non-Negotiated Settlements
Negotiated Settlements
Forms and Stages of Negotiation
Summary and Discussion Questions
Chapter 10. Post-Settlement Outcomes
Variations in Post-Settlement Outcomes
Constructive Transformations
Summary and Discussion Questions
Chapter 11. Toward Constructive Conflict Transformation
Appendix A: Selected Organizations in the Field of Constructive Conflicts
Preface
PART ONE: CONFLICT ANALYSIS AND CONFLICT THEORY
Chapter 1. The Constructive Conflicts Approach
Plan for the Book and Intended Audience
Conflict Definitions
Six Foundational Ideas
Varieties of Conflicts
Combinations Constituting Destructiveness and Constructiveness
Summary and Discussion Questions
Chapter 2. Preconditions: Three Perspectives on the Origin of Conflicts
Human Nature
Sociocultural Relations
System Attributes
Synthesis
Summary and Discussion Questions
PART TWO: CONFLICT EMERGENCE AND CONFLICT STRATEGIES
Chapter 3. Emergence
Identity
Grievance
Forming Contentious Goals
Believing Redress is Possible
Summary and Discussion Questions
Chapter 4. Alternative Conflict Strategies: Coercion, Reward, and Persuasion
Choosing Strategies
Coercion, Reward, and Persuasion
Strategies and Modes of Struggle
Illustrative Strategies
Summary and Discussion Questions
Chapter 5. Adopting Conflict Strategies
Conflict Style
Partisan Goals
Partisan Characteristics
Relations between Adversaries
Social Context
Summary and Discussion Questions
PART THREE: CONFLICT ESCALATION AND DE-ESCALATION
Chapter 6. Escalation
Processes of Escalation
Summary and Discussion Questions
Chapter 7. De-Escalation
Social-Psychological Dynamics
Organizational and Tactical Dynamics
Systemic and Structural Dynamics
De-Escalation Strategies
Summary and Discussion Questions
PART FOUR: MEDIATION, NEGOTIATION, AND POST-CONFLICT OUTCOMES
Chapter 8. Mediation
Definitions, Applications, and Benefits
Social Roles
Shapers of Mediator Roles
Assessing Mediator Contributions
Summary and Discussion Questions
Chapter 9. Negotiated and Non-Negotiated Settlements
Non-Negotiated Settlements
Negotiated Settlements
Forms and Stages of Negotiation
Summary and Discussion Questions
Chapter 10. Post-Settlement Outcomes
Variations in Post-Settlement Outcomes
Constructive Transformations
Summary and Discussion Questions
Chapter 11. Toward Constructive Conflict Transformation
Appendix A: Selected Organizations in the Field of Constructive Conflicts