Conflict and the Social Bond


Book Description

Is violent conflict inevitable? What is it in our social nature that makes us conduct wars, genocides and persecutions? The answer lies in how we are programmed to bond and form communities that demand loyalty in order to let us belong. The analysis in this book cuts through the social sciences in order to show the fundamentals of violent conflict. The book investigates conflict at the level of sociality. It reorganises existing theories of conflict under that perspective and brings them to bear upon the link between violence and togetherness. It introduces the key concept of closure to describe the conditions under which human groups start to perceive their position as similar and their reality as polarised. This is how normality starts breaking down and fault lines appear. Violent conflict is then analysed as a reaction that seeks change more rapidly than conditions seem to allow. Global comparative data from numerous studies – including M. Mousseau's works – are used to disentangle the factors that contribute to "democratic peace", that is, the fact that democratic societies do not go to war with each other. This inquiry reveals the new dimension of sociodiversity, which allows societies where individuality is strong to constantly produce alternatives and avoid closure. The book concludes with a coda on peace and sociodiversity which explains how contemporary societies can ensure durable peace and adequate social justice at the same time. Written in a clear and direct style, this volume will appeal to students, researchers and scholars with an interest in political sociology, anthropology, international relations, war studies, as well as conflict and peace studies.




Emotions, the Social Bond, and Human Reality


Book Description

This book, first published in 1997, offers an approach to researching human behavior relating details of interaction to social structure.




Social Conflict


Book Description

A standard text on social conflict, which covers key research in the field. This edition has been updated and rewritten, with new co-author Sung Hee Kim, and now emphasizes cross-cultural conflict and includes recent research in conflict escalation, stalemate, negotiation and settlement.




Civil War and the Collapse of the Social Bond


Book Description

Can civil war ever be overcome? Can a better order come into being? This book explores how the Roman civil wars of the first century BCE laid the template for addressing perennially urgent questions. The Roman Republic's collapse and Augustus' new Empire have remained ideological battlegrounds to this day. Integrative and disintegrative readings begun in antiquity (Vergil and Lucan) have left their mark on answers given by Christians (Augustine), secular republicans (Victor Hugo), and disillusioned satirists (Michel Houellebecq) alike. France's self-understanding as a new Rome – republican during the Revolution, imperial under successive Napoleons – makes it a special case in the Roman tradition. The same story returns repeatedly. A golden age of restoration glimmers on the horizon, but comes in the guise of a decadent, oriental empire that reintroduces and exposes everything already wrong under the defunct republic. Central to the price of social order is patriarchy's need to subjugate women.




Functions of Social Conflict


Book Description

Conflict and group boundaries; Hostility and tensions in conflict relationship; In-group conflict and group sctructure; Conflict with out-group and group sctructure; Ideology and conflict; Conflict calls forallies.




Social Bonds as Freedom


Book Description

Central to discussions of multiculturalism and minority rights in modern liberal societies is the idea that the particular demands of minority groups contradict the requirements of equality, anonymity, and universality for citizenship and belonging. The contributors to this volume question the significance of this dichotomy between the universal and the particular, arguing that it reflects how the modern state has instituted the basic rights and obligations of its members and that these institutions are undergoing fundamental transformations under the pressure of globalization. They show that the social bonds uniting groups constitute the means of our freedom, rather than obstacles to achieving the universal.




Emotions and Violence


Book Description

What causes violence? Thomas Scheff and Suzanne Retzinger deftly explore this age-old question. What emerges is an extraordinarily innovative explanation that gives fresh hope for reducing physical and emotional violence in the world and in our times. The authors provide remarkable new insights into the sources of destructive conflict. They explore human interaction in psychotherapy sessions, marital quarrels, TV game shows, and high politics. Their original interpretation of a classic work of fiction, Goethe's The Sufferings of Young Werther, and case studies of Hitler and his master architect, Albert Speer, offer additional, powerful illustrations of their theory: violence arises from the denial of emotions particularly from the denial of shame and from hidden alienation in relationships. Researchers in violence, psychotherapists, and criminal justice professionals will welcome this thoughtful inquiry that integrates different disciplines and spans topics from alienation and conscience building to the hidden world of gesture, implication, and emotion. Scheff and Retzinger's examples and recommendations furnish a practical blueprint for understanding and reducing physical and emotional violence at both the interpersonal and societal levels. Social and behavioral scientists will be stimulated by the novel approach to theory and method in this work. It also has practical implications for the fields of psychotherapy, education, criminal justice, and international relations.




Bowling Alone: Revised and Updated


Book Description

Updated to include a new chapter about the influence of social media and the Internet—the 20th anniversary edition of Bowling Alone remains a seminal work of social analysis, and its examination of what happened to our sense of community remains more relevant than ever in today’s fractured America. Twenty years, ago, Robert D. Putnam made a seemingly simple observation: once we bowled in leagues, usually after work; but no longer. This seemingly small phenomenon symbolized a significant social change that became the basis of the acclaimed bestseller, Bowling Alone, which The Washington Post called “a very important book” and Putnam, “the de Tocqueville of our generation.” Bowling Alone surveyed in detail Americans’ changing behavior over the decades, showing how we had become increasingly disconnected from family, friends, neighbors, and social structures, whether it’s with the PTA, church, clubs, political parties, or bowling leagues. In the revised edition of his classic work, Putnam shows how our shrinking access to the “social capital” that is the reward of communal activity and community sharing still poses a serious threat to our civic and personal health, and how these consequences have a new resonance for our divided country today. He includes critical new material on the pervasive influence of social media and the internet, which has introduced previously unthinkable opportunities for social connection—as well as unprecedented levels of alienation and isolation. At the time of its publication, Putnam’s then-groundbreaking work showed how social bonds are the most powerful predictor of life satisfaction, and how the loss of social capital is felt in critical ways, acting as a strong predictor of crime rates and other measures of neighborhood quality of life, and affecting our health in other ways. While the ways in which we connect, or become disconnected, have changed over the decades, his central argument remains as powerful and urgent as ever: mending our frayed social capital is key to preserving the very fabric of our society.




Understanding Conflict and Conflict Analysis


Book Description

′...effectively fills a long-standing void and will no doubt be hailed as a much-needed new addition to the literature... This text very much exemplifies the strength of Ho-Won Jeong as a theorist and one of the more prolific writers in the larger peace and conflict studies field... the final three chapters on ′De-escalation Dynamics′ (which includes a brief section on third party intervention), on ′Conciliation Strategies,′ and especially the one on ′Ending Conflict,′ which provides a range of outcomes beyond the usual focus on third party intervention (read mediation) epitomizes the value of this new text′ - Journal of Peace Research ′...an awesome tour d′horizon of modern war, violence, and confrontation within and between nations. Illustrating via just about every conflict in every corner of the world, the author invokes an endless array of insights and interpretations, ranging from the micro to the macro, beautifully written in a seamless sequence of closely linked and discursive essays.′ - Professor J. David Singer, University of Michigan ′Ho-Won Jeong has written an illuminatinbg analysis of the dynamics of conflict. He lays out the tools we have to analyze conflict in a literate and comprehensive way. A valuable book for anyone interested in a more comprehensive understanding of conflict, its sources, and its deescalation and termination′ - Janice Gross Stein, Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management, Director, Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto ′Jeong has successfully combined behavioral and structural analysis of the dynamics of social conflict. This volume covers the multiple dimensions - escalation, entrapment, de-escalation, termination, and resolution - both of violent and non-violent confrontation between adversaries, as well as the utility and limitations of external intervention. For students of the social sciences, it should serve as an excellent introduction to the complex realities of social conflict.′ - Milton Esman, John S. Knight Professor of International Studies, Emeritus, Cornell University By examining the dynamic forces which shape and re-shape major conflicts, this timely book provides students with the knowledge base needed to successfully study conflict sources, processes and transformations. Broad in focus, it addresses the multiple social, political and psychological features central to understanding conflict situations and behaviour. A range of both recent and historical examples (including the Arab-Israeli conflict, the ′War on Terrorism′, the Cold War, and the civil wars in Sudan, former Yugoslavia and Sri Lanka) are discussed, illustrating the application of concepts and theories essential to the analysis of inter-group, inter-state and intra-state conflict and conflict resolution in a wider context. Understanding Conflict and Conflict Analysis is key reading for students of international relations, peace and conflict studies, conflict resolution, international security and international law.




Violent Emotions


Book Description

In Violent Emotions, Retzinger explores the role of hidden alienation and shame as the source of repetitious cycles of conflict. Theories and research from large-scale conflict, marital disputes, and communication processes are reviewed and provide a background for a new integrative theory developed by the author. In testing her theory of prolonged conflict, Retzinger utilizes complex verbal and nonverbal coding schemes, identifies specific emotions within the context of marital disputes, and points out recurring patterns preceding the escalation of an argument. She provides exemplars of how this theory works through an intensive analysis of conflict exchange in four case studies and uses vivid descriptions to illustrate important points about communication in intimate relationships. Violent Emotions provides much needed data that will be useful for preventive and predictive measures in early marital problems and insight into the dynamics of family and other violence. It is an excellent volume for students and professionals in the fields of victimology, psychology, interpersonal communication, gender studies, and family studies. "Suzanne Retzinger has done such a fine job of presenting her theory and research. . . . I suspect that many researchers, teachers, and therapists will turn to the vivid descriptions and transcripts the author provides to illustrate important points about communication in intimate relationships." --from the Preface by Mary Anne Fitzpatrick University of Wisconsin, Madison (use the fitzpatrick quote for communication catalogs--she is the president of ICA) "Dr. Retzinger′s book is good news for both researchers and practitioners. It opens up a whole new field of emotions for understanding the sources of hidden conflict. . . . Psychotherapists, counselors, and mediators will find it particularly helpful, since the book shows in concrete detail how to detect and change underground conflicts. A gold mine of new ideas and techniques." --Thomas J. Scheff, University of California, Santa Barbara "It is a splendid work that goes to the heart of the possibilities for a world where conflict is dealt with more constructively and less violently. The integration of case study and theory is masterful." --Dr. John Braithwaite, The Australian National University, Australia "The author focuses on the crucial importance of shame in human bonding and the underlying dynamics of escalating conflict. The problem of escalating conflict and its relationship to unity is the foundation of this book." --Familiy Violence & Sexual Assault Bulletin "The author is well read and integrates with ease perspectives of conflict, communication, and bonding theories. . . . Researchers and practitioners concerned with marital and family interaction will be interested in this interdisciplinary approach to emotion." --Choice "A very impressive portrayal of the moment-by-moment flow of emotional meaning in disputes. Retzinger′s case studies add flesh and blood to the interactional skeleton of conflict and successfully reveal the subtle dynamics of marital quarrels that escape other methodologies. . . . Retzinger′s analysis of the dynamics of marital conflict make a lot of sense, both in the abstract and in concrete application. . . . Her findings are important and provocative. The book has the sensitivity and clarity that will make it useful reading for professionals or for bridge-level and graduate classes." --Contemporary Sociology "[Retzinger] offers the researcher in the field of family violence a potentially powerful explanatory tool to investigate why conflict is consistently found to be patterned in a specific sequence for each couple. Retzinger also offers the clinician concrete suggestions for interrupting the pattern and for guiding fighting couples to healthier interaction. I highly recommend this book to all working in the field of family violence." --The American Journal of Family Therapy "Retzinger′s book makes a [great] contribution to the field of sociological practice by offering information and making direct suggestions that can be translated readily into intervention tactics, especially for the counseling sociologist. . . . The book should appeal to a wide range of professionals, especially marital therapists." --Journal of Marriage and the Family "Dr. Retzinger′s landmark contribution is a major breakthrough for the clinician. Using sophisticated research methodology applied to the assessment of marital interaction, she convincingly demonstrates the relationship of hostility and rage to antecedent shame, however subtle or unacknowledged that shame might be. The central insights to this book place in the therapist′s hands the capacity both to recognize and to resolve a major impediment in the treatment of marital tension--the escalation of marital conflict resulting from shame-rage spirals." --Melvin R. Lansky, UCLA Medical School