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Humanities
Larry Fisk and John Schellenberg, editors.
Broadview. 222. $22.95
Patterns of Conflict, Paths to Peace aims to introduce readers to the field of peace studies. It is well written and edited, and, unlike many texts on peace and conflict studies, it does not overwhelm the reader with technical jargon. Undergraduates will find the often breezy style of writing engaging.
The volume begins with an excellent chapter on the nature of peace studies by Conrad G. Brunk. Brunk tackles important issues such as the arguments for and against devoting a field of study to 'peace studies,' and the political and normative implications of such a field. He then introduces some important concepts in peace studies, such as negative and positive peace, conflict and its relationship to violence, and power. Brunk concludes with an overview of various approaches to peacemaking, such as conflict management and conflict transformation.
Loraleigh Keashly and William C. Warters have contributed the second chapter, on conflict in interpersonal contexts. Although Keashly and Warters claim to be writing about interpersonal conflict, their observations are relevant to those interested in organizational and international conflict as well. The chapter begins...