Description
Human conflict - from family feuds, to labor strikes, to national warfare - is an ever-present and universal social problem and the methods to manage it, a challenge for everyone, from average citizens to policymakers and social theorists. Using Conflict Theory will educate students about how, under what conditions, and why conflict erupts, and how it can be managed. It is a unique classroom book blending theory and practical application and the first to bridge for students the science of social theory and the art of practice. The authors extract from classical sociological theory (Marx, Dahrendorf, Weber, Durkheim, and Parsons), and interpret for the student how these theoretical perspectives have contributed to understanding social conflict (its sources, the causes of escalation and de-escalation of violence, the negotiations process). The perspectives of contemporary theorists (such as Randall Collins, James Coleman, Joseph Himes, Hubert Blalock) are also brought to bear on these questions.
Chapter
CHAPTER TWO Understanding Conflict
Advantages of Matrix Representation
Identifying Goals and Interests
Hostility as Nonrational Behavior
Noncoercive Conflict Action
CHAPTER THREE Development of Incompatible Goals
Frequently Contested Resources
Horizontal Differentiation
Values of Communities and Systems
CHAPTER FOUR Application to the Civil Rights Struggle
The African American Struggle for Equality
Worldwide Influence of the Struggle
Are the Goals Incompatible?
Letting Theory Inform Action
Some Practical Principles
The Technique of Conflict Mapping
CHAPTER FIVE Emergence of Overt Conflicts
Free Communication as a Cause of Solidarity
Hostility as a Cause of Conflict Solidarity
Conflict Solidarity and Conflict Ideology
Conflict Solidarity and Organization
Conflict Solidarity and Mobilization
Application to Interpersonal Conflicts
CHAPTER SIX Application to a University Conflict
Emergence of Overt Conflict
Making Conflict Emergence Productive
Organization and Mobilization of Resources for Empowerment
Conflict Group Integration
Strategies during Conflict Emergence
CHAPTER SEVEN Escalation and Deescalation
Main Ingredients of Escalation
Hostility-Driven Escalation
Contributions of the Model
The Model and the Real World
Escalation Due to “Original” Conditions
Escalation Due to Changing Conditions
Feedbacks That Increase Escalation
Deescalation Due to Changing Conditions
Feedbacks That Lead to Deescalation
The Civil Rights Struggle Revisited
CHAPTER EIGHT Application to Conflict in Bosnia
Conflict around and within Bosnia
How the Bosnian Conflict Developed
Escalation of the Conflict
Deescalation and the Peace Agreement
Emergence of an Open Conflict: Serbian Attack
Serb Escalating and Deescalating Actions
The Bosnian Conflct Reconsidered
CHAPTER NINE Making Conflict Work Economically
Preventing Serious Conflict
Reconciling Potential Conflict Groups
Moving toward Cooperation
Institutionalizing Cooperative Conflict
Third-Party Interventions
CHAPTER TEN Understanding and Managing Conflicts
Dealing with Ongoing Conflicts
Becoming a Skilled Conflict Actor
Learn the Theory and Methods for Applying It
Use These Methods in Everyday Life
Undergo Rigorous Professional Training
Familiarize Yourself with Many Professional Fields
APPENDIX Prelude to the Dissolution of Yugoslavia
The Collapse of Federal Yugoslavia
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Understanding Conflict
Chapter Three: Development of Incompatible Goals
Chapter Four: Application to the Civil Rights Struggle
Chapter Five: Emergence of Overt Conflicts
Chapter Six: Application to a University Conflict
Chapter Seven: Escalation and Deescalation
Chapter Eight: Application to Conflict in Bosnia
Chapter Nine: Making Conflict Work Economically
Chapter Ten: Understanding and Managing Conflicts
Using Conflict Theory
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