Introduction to Conflict Studies

Introduction to Conflict Studies: Empirical, Theoretical, and Ethical Dimensios is a survey textbook that takes a multidisciplinary approach to study the nature of conflict, the actions of people in conflict, and the processes used to deal with conflict. The wider goal of the book is to provide the reader with an accurate and balanced view of the main schools of thought on conflict analysis and conflict resolution.

Organized into five parts, each section is built around answering a question central to the aspect of conflict under discussion. These questions are:

1. What is conflict?

2. How is conflict experienced at different levels in the world at the present time?

3. What are the causes and dynamics of conflict from different perspectives?

4. How do we, and can we, deal with conflict?

5. What ethical issues emerge from the study of conflict and from interventions in conflicts?

The content is supported by concise chapter conclusions and a full range of pedagogical features, including questions for critical thinking and case studies highlighting actual conflicts and their outcomes, along with an analysis of the effectiveness of the approaches taken in addressing the conflict.