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Send by emailFocusing on Commonalities: Additional Resources
These references supplement the Knowledge Base Essay, Focusing on Commonalities.
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Additional Explanations of the Underlying Concepts: Online (Web) Sources Commonality to Balance Diversity. Available at: http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/treatment/commony.htm [Backup Link] In the rush to strengthen group identities, many minority (as well as some majority groups) fail to recognize the importance of areas of commonality between groups, especially cross-cultural principles of fairness which are capable of binding a diverse society together. Developing such integrative principles can provide a basis for transforming many cross-cultural conflicts into conflicts which strengthen societies instead of tearing them apart. Hansen, Silke. Confronting Group Differences and Commonalities in a Diverse Society. Available at: Primary Link [Backup Link] This paper is an edited transcript of a talk given by Silke Hansen for the Intractable Conflict/Constructive Confrontation Project on November 6, 1993. It addresses issues involved in mediating multi-ethnic community conflicts. Hansen suggests that diverse groups typically have things in common that can be used to hold the larger community together and limit destructive confrontations. Offline (Print) Sources Dupont, Christophe. "Negotiation as Coalition Building." International Negotiation 1:1, 1996. This article employs coalition-building as a metaphor for complex multilateral negotiations. The authors argue that coalition- building highlights the commonality of interests among parties and reduces the complexity of multilateral transactions, thus offering a powerful parallel to international negotiation processes. Examples Illustrating this Topic: Online (Web) Sources Flavin-McDonald, Catherine and Martha L. McCoy. "Facing the Challenge of Racism and Race Relations: Democratic Dialogue and Action for Stronger Communities." , 1997 Available at: http://www.lightparty.com/Misc/Racism.html [Backup Link] This detailed discussion guide is designed to help people organize and facilitate dialogue about racism and race relations in study circles -- small group, democratic, participatory discussions in which people can get to know one other, consider different points of view, explore disagreements, and discover common ground. Carstarphen, Nike and Michelle Lebaron. "Pro-life and Pro-choice Advocates Seek to Bridge the Great Divide." , July 1, 1998 Available at: http://www.mediate.com/articles/prolifeC.cfm [Backup Link] This article addresses the tedious process of finding common ground between pro-life and pro-choice groups. Conflict Research Consortium Staff. "Shared Values for a Troubled World: Conversations with Men and Women of Conscience - Book Summary." University of Colorado: Conflict Research Consortium. Available at: Link This summary of Shared Values for a Troubled World, by Rushworth M. Kidder, provides a good overview of the book, which attempts to identify a core of globally shared ethical values. The author interviews twenty-four notable thinkers of diverse interests and cultural backgrounds, asking each to describe their fundamental moral principles. Drawing on these interviews, Kidder describes a core of common ethical values. Anyaoku, Emeka. "Space in Which Hope Can Grow: The Commonwealth and Preventive Diplomacy." , 2000 Available at: http://www.ciaonet.org/wps/ane01/ [Backup Link] This article is on the Commonwealth. It explains that the Commonwealth is a voluntary association of independent sovereign states consulting and co-operating in the common interests of their peoples to promote international understanding, sustainable development and world peace. After the United Nations, the Commonwealth is the world's largest multilateral organisation, the membership of which includes nations large and small, developed and developing. The Commonwealth is a remarkable example of co-operation between diverse countries and encompasses many races, religions, traditions, cultures and language groups. It is a living demonstration of the successful pursuit of unity in diversity. Offline (Print) Sources Garber, Randi. "Health as a Bridge for Peace: Theory, Practice and Prognosis, Reflections of a Practitioner." Journal of Peacebuilding & Development 1:1, 2002. This article explains how members of both antagonistic parties in Haiti, Israel-Palestine, and the Balkans, collaborated on health care programs, and thus, opened up avenues for peacebuilding efforts in their embattled communities. LeBaron, Michelle and Nike Carstarphen. "Negotiating Intractable Conflict: The Common Ground Dialogue Process and Abortion." Negotiation Journal 13:4, October 1997. This article describes a dialogue process used in several North American cities to stress common concerns of all parties in the conflict over abortion. After spending a day in small and large group interactions, participants report increased empathy and trust toward advocates for different positions. Primary Link Kidder, Rushworth M. and Harlan Cleveland. Shared Values for a Troubled World: Conversations with Men and Women of Conscience. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, April 1994. Shared Values for a Troubled World attempts to identify a core of globally shared ethical values. The author interviews twenty-four notable thinkers of diverse interests and cultural backgrounds, asking each to describe their fundamental moral principles. Drawing on these interviews, Kidder describes a core of common ethical values. Primary Link |
