This book follows an approach that combines the viewpoints of both the realists and the idealists in dealing with the issues of conflict and peace. The ideas, models, and peace processes it proposes take into consideration the imperatives of real life without abandoning the dreams of a more peaceful and just world. The shared homeland model, as developed here, provides hope that ethnic conflict can be resolved in a manner that satisfies a group's need for recognition and cultural particularism, as well as its need for economic development, security, and regional activity. The book also defines and integrates steps of political conflict resolution into one theory that produces one of the first textbooks on the subject.
This unique collection of comparable case studies addresses the need to assess modes of conflict resolution in a larger sociocultural context with attention to varying approaches and cultural perspectives. Editors Avruch, Black, and Scimecca, along with other anthropologists and sociologists, propose and test different propositions, while looking toward a general theory of conflict and conflict resolution. They offer a broad range of vantage points for considering conflict resolution in five different cultures. Conflict resolution is seen as an emerging discipline.
This book, edited by renowned sociologist Peter Berger, is an important contribution to understanding the cultural fault lines that threaten social cohesion.