Conflict Transformation: Additional Resources

These references supplement the Knowledge Base Essay, Conflict Transformation.

Additional Explanations of the Underlying Concepts:

Online (Web) Sources

Berghof Handbook for Conflict Transformation. Berg of Research Center for Constructive Conflict Management, December 2007.
Available at: http://www.berghof-handbook.net/  [Backup Link]

This Handbook gives practitioners and scholars an overview of the currently available approaches, methods, techniques and theories of conflict transformation. It documents and assesses the state of the art in the field as well as offer opportunities to reflect on and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches. The topic structure of the Handbook is organized according to the conceptual preconditions, the different social levels and the various dimensions of conflict transformation.

Senghaas, Dieter. "Civilizing Conflict: Constructive Pacifism as a Guiding Notion for Conflict Transformation."
http://www.berghof-handbook.net/articles/senghaas-handbook.pdf  [Backup Link]
This article presents "causal/constructive pacifism" as a guiding notion for conflict transformation. If civil or international war is the effect of anarchy, a social order from which enduring peace emerges must be built at national, regional/continental and international levels. Correspondingly, the author develops a historically informed model of a complex peace architecture ("civilizational hexagon"), the components of which he discusses at both the national and international level. Hexagonalizing peace is the very basis for conflict transformation, i.e. for civilizing conflicts in a potentially violence-prone political, socio-economic and socio-cultural environment.

Burgess, Heidi and Guy M. Burgess. "Conflict Transformation and Peacemaking." , 1997
Available at: Link

This page describes John Paul Lederach's approach to conflict transformation. It discusses justice, peace, and mercy, and contrasts Lederach's approach to that of Bush and Folger.

Miall, Hugh. "Conflict Transformation: A Multi-Dimensional Task."
http://www.berghof-handbook.net/articles/miall-handbook.pdf  [Backup Link]
This essay identifies the key theorists and modes of practice of conflict transformation. It attempts to distinguish these from the theories and practices of conflict resolution and conflict management, while at the same time arguing that conflict transformation draws heavily on these earlier traditions. Conflict transformation as a response to the changing nature of contemporary conflict, however, it is still an incomplete synthesis.

Francis, Diana. "Conflict Transformation: From Violence to Politics." CCTS Newsletter, Number 9, Summer 2000 , 2000
Available at: http://www.c-r.org/ccts/ccts9/vipolint.htm  [Backup Link]

This is a paper written for a series of seminars designed to explore what is necessary to move from violent conflict to something which might be described as peace.

Constructive Confrontation.
Available at: http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/treatment/constcon.htm  [Backup Link]
This page offers a brief discussion of the concept of constructive confrontation. This conflict strategy was developed by Guy and Heidi Burgess, and focuses upon helping the parties develop more constructive strategies for pursuing inevitable confrontations. It is an incremental approach which involves diagnosing particular conflict problems, and then designing remedies for those problems so that the resulting conflict is more constructive. The page includes links to further reading on the subject.

Jarman, Roswitha. "Healing as Part of Conflict Transformation." CCTS Newsletter, Number 12, Spring 2001 , 2001
Available at: http://www.c-r.org/ccts/ccts12/healing.htm  [Backup Link]

This article explores how outsiders coming in to war-torn regions can contribute to healing the personal and interpersonal hurt of individuals and groups and thereby contribute to the process of conflict transformation.

Negowetti, Nicole. "Reconciliation: Central Component of Conflict Transformation." , April 4, 2003
Available at: http://www.skynet.ie/~peacesoc/read/reconciliation.html  [Backup Link]

This essay examines the concept of reconciliation as central to Jonh Paul Lederach's theory of conflict transformation. It asserts that contemporary intra-state conflicts require innovative approaches that consider the subjective experiences of both victims and perpetrators, for their transformation. The piece includes discussion of Lederach's distinction between conflict transformation and the concepts of conflict resolution and conflict management.

Burgess, Heidi, Guy M. Burgess and Tanya Glaser. Transformative Approaches to Conflict. Conflict Research Consortium.
Available at: http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/transform/index.html  [Backup Link]
This site contains information about a variety of transformative approaches to conflict including transformative mediation, John Paul Lederach's conception of transformative peacemaking and conflict transformation, the analytical problem solving/human needs approach to conflict transformation, research on the transformation of conflicts from intractable to tractable (primarily done at Syracuse University), and other techniques for successfully dealing with intractable conflicts, particularly dialogue and constructive confrontation.

Offline (Print) Sources

Diamond, Louise. Beyond Win-Win: The Heroic Journey of Conflict Transformation. Washington D.C.: The Institute For Multi-Track Diplomacy, 1994.
Peace is not a static phenomenon. "The discovery of peace" is a continuous process of developing structures and relationships which fulfill our needs and correspond to our perception of well-being. To discover peace, a system encouraging conflict should be transformed. Conflict transformation is different from conflict resolution and management. It involves changing parties' beliefs and behaviors, releasing the energy limited by determined patterns of thought and action, to move toward creating new relationships. "To transform conflict is to discover peace" (p. 3). This paper presents a map of the journey of discovering peace and hence, transforming conflict. It consists of five parts including motivation (touching the ideal), quest (vision and commitment), test (causes and consequences), death (self-examination and letting go), and rebirth (reframing and action). Primary Link

Weiner, Eugene, ed. Conflict Resolution Moves East: How the Emerging Democracies of Central and Eastern Europe Are Facing Interethnic Conflict . New York: Continuum Publishing, 1998.
The author draws on the work of Partners for Democratic Change in the emerging democracies of Eastern and Central Europe. Shonholtz explores the "intersection between the historical and cultural suppression of conflict and the democratic need for the expression and resolution of conflict."(p.360) Primary Link

Chupp, Mark , ed. Conflict Transformation: A Spiritual Process. Conciliation Quarterly, 1993.
Conflict transformation is a spiritual process which brings internal, relational and structural change. The author sees seven spiritual aspects to transformation which develop along a cycle: coming together, commitment and trust, listening, empathy, dialogue, and restoration. Primary Link

Burgess, Heidi. "Constructive Confrontation: A Transformative Approach to Intractable Conflicts." Mediation Quarterly 13:4, 1996.
This article describes the conflict strategy of constructive confrontation. This strategy may be used to approach intractable conflicts that are not yet ripe for resolution. Developed in the context of large-scale public policy and international conflicts, this approach parallels transformative mediation in several ways. Most important is an emphasis on empowerment and recognition (though constructive confrontation uses different terms) and a focus on constructive processes rather than resolution as the primary goal. The article highlights the similarities and differences between constructive confrontation and transformative mediation. Primary Link

Porter, Thomas W. and Mark Conrad Mancao. "Engage Conflict Well: Transforming Conflict in the United Methodist Church." In Positive Approaches to Peacebuilding: A Resource for Innovators. Edited by Liebler, Claudia, ed. et al. Washington DC: Pact Publications, 2003.
"The JUSTPEACE Center for Mediation and Conflict Transformation believes that creating justpeace through conflict transformation involves preparing the self and engagin others in processes that move in positive directions. "Engage Conflict Well" is an emerging model in The United Methodist Church, which explores these interrelated phases of conflict transformation. This chapter presents a summary of each element in the model and then offers more in-depth discussion of the three aspects that are most germane to this book-circle process, relational covenants, and appreciative questioning."

Schwerin, Edward W. Mediation, Citizen Empowerment and Transformational Politics . Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 1995.
The author argues that while empowerment is the core concept of transformational ideologies, it remains a fuzzy concept. Participation in community mediation is generally thought to be empowering, so he begins his analysis of empowerment by examining the community mediation movement. Primary Link

"Power and Social Exchange." American Political Science Review 72, 1978.
This article provides theoretical grounding for helping third parties or antagonists reframe conflictual environments.

"Power and the Emergence of Commitment Behavior in Negotiated Exchange." American Sociological Review , 1993.
Relations based on negotiated exchange sometimes transform to one that incorporates exchange of non-contingent gifts or long-term reciprocal transactions, even when alternatives to exchange relation exist.

Dukes, E. Frank. "Public Conflict Resolution: A Transformative Approach." 9:1, January 1993.
The author examines both the transformative and management approaches to mediation. Primary Link

Rothman, Jay. "Reflexive Dialogue as Transformation." Mediation Quarterly 13:4, 1996.
Rothman describes his approach to intervention in identity conflicts as facilitating reflexive dialogue. He sees reflexive dialogue as a form of transformative conflict resolution. Primary Link

Dukes, E. Frank. Resolving Public Conflict: Transforming Community and Governance (Political Analyses). Manchester University Press, November 1, 1996.
In this powerful and optimistic book, Franklin Dukes moves beyond the orthodox remedies of right and left to explain how the field of public conflict resolution offers a way to cut through the impasse in public policy-making. Drawing on conflict resolution experience and recent democratic theory, Dukes traces the philosophical roots and development of the public conflict resolution field. He examines in detail how it has worked in practice, in the US and other western democracies. Finally, he argues that a more systematic application of public conflict resolution by policy-makers would confront three key problems of contemporary democratic society: the disintegration of community, alienation from government, and the inability to solve public disputes.*

Clements, Kevin P. "The State of the Art of Conflict Transformation." In Searching for Peace in Europe and Eurasia: An Overview of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding Activities. Edited by van Tongeren, Paul, Juliette Verhoeven and Hans van de Veen, eds. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2002.
"The field of conflict resolution/conflict transformation is still in a dynamic stage of evolution. It is an evolving sphere or interdisciplinary endeavor that has both theoretical and practical implications. This chapter will begin with a map of the field and an assessment of the state of the art. It will then analyze and assess these schools of thought by identifying trends or themes within the different perspectives. This will be followed by a critique of the field and recommendations for improving the theory and practice of conflict transformation."

Ury, William L. The Third Side: Why We Fight and How We Can Stop. New York: Penguin Books, September 2000.
In this book, William Ury explains that it takes two sides to fight and a third to stop it. Based on years of experience as a conflict resolution practitioner, Ury describes ten practical roles that people can play to prevent destructive conflict. He argues that fighting is not inevitable human behavior and that we can transform battles into constructive conflict and cooperation by turning to what he calls, "the third side".

Chupp, Mark . "When Mediation is Not Enough." 10:3, 1991.
This article analyzes the value system that dominates the present field of mediation, the author concludes that the mediator's original goal of reconciliation has been lost. Throughout the years there has been a value shift in the mediation field which is reflected in the changing use of terminology from "reconciliation" to "conflict resolution" and to "conflict management". The model that he outlines in this article has a value of inner conflict and social structure transformation at the core and uses nonviolence as a technique of conflict regulation. Primary Link

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Examples Illustrating this Topic:

Online (Web) Sources

Fetherston, A. B. "From Conflict Resolution to Transformative Peacebuilding: Reflections From Croatia." , 2000
Available at: http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/confres/assets/CCR4.pdf  [Backup Link]

The author argues that conflict resolution needs to undergo reappraisal in the light of critical social theory and in the context of peacebuilding practices which have emerged out of war zones. Fetherston advocates for a needs-based problem solving process that brings about the transformation of modern conflicts.

Clements, Kevin P. "Towards Conflict Transformation and a Just Peace." Berghof Research Center for Constructive Conflict Management, 1900.
http://www.berghof-handbook.net/articles/clements-handbook.pdf  [Backup Link]
This article argues that the structural sources of conflict--political and economic in particular--have been relatively underdeveloped in conflict analysis and in the design of intervention processes. This has meant that many Track II interventions in conflict have been oriented towards attitudinal and behavioural change rather than situational or structural change. Until this situation is reversed and more attention is paid to the transformation of institutions and processes, it will be difficult to generate stable peaceful relationships. The article concludes with some lessons learned from experiences of conflict intervention in Africa, the Caucasus and Asia.

Dukes, E. Frank. "Why Conflict Transformation Matters: Three Cases." , November 1999
Available at: http://www.gmu.edu/academic/pcs/Dukes61PCS.html  [Backup Link]

This essay begins with an examination of the importance of conflict transformation. The failings of an ideology of conflict management currently dominating the conflict resolution field, are contrasted with components of a transformative practice. The author then offers three cases from personal experience and draws lessons from them to illustrate the potential of conflict resolution in three distinct areas: fostering community, building a responsive governance, and resolving public conflict.

Offline (Print) Sources

Kriesberg, Louis. "Mediation and the Transformation of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict." Journal of Peace Research 38:3, 2001.
This article discusses the contributions of various mediators involved in Israeli-Palestinain negotiations, toward transforming the conflict in the 1990s. The conflict has met severe disruptions and retrogressions, but at various stages of escalation and de-escalation different kinds of mediators have had important impacts on the course of the conflict.

Jacobs, David. "Polish Solidarity and Transformational Bargaining." Negotiation Journal 8:2, April 1, 1992.
This article discusses the process of negotiation in Poland, between the Communist government and Solidarity, over an array of political and economic reforms. The author focuses on negotiating transfers of power through transformational bargaining.

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