Constructive Conflicts: From Emergence to Transformation

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

Table of Contents:
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

About the Author :
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.

Review :
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. 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. 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. 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.