Intractable Conflicts
Socio-Psychological Foundations and Dynamics

Provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, original and holistic analysis of the socio-psychological foundations and dynamics of intractable conflicts and their resolution.

Daniel Bar-Tal (Author)

9781107562547, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 1 October 2015

584 pages, 4 b/w illus. 2 tables
23 x 15.3 x 3.5 cm, 0.88 kg

'Intractable Conflicts: Socio-Psychological Foundations and Dynamics is a veritable gold mine. Its organization is intelligent and coherent, and its range and coverage is appropriately encyclopedic. This book deals with the theoretical issues around the concepts of intractable conflicts. It analyzes the socio-psychological foundation and dynamics of intractable conflicts and their peace-building on the basis of a particular conceptual framework that Daniel Bar-Tal developed with his cumulative years of experience in living with the Israeli-Arab and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.' Oluwaseun Bamidele, International Journal on World Peace

This book provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary and holistic analysis of the socio-psychological dynamics of intractable conflicts. Daniel Bar-Tal's original conceptual framework is supported by evidence drawn from different disciplines, including empirical data and illustrative case studies. His analysis rests on the premise that intractable conflicts share certain socio-psychological foundations, despite differences in context and other characteristics. He describes a full cycle of intractable conflicts - their outbreak, escalation and reconciliation through peace building. Bar-Tal's framework provides a broad theoretical view of the of the socio-psychological repertoire that develops in the course of long-term and violent conflicts, outlines the factors affecting its formation, demonstrates how it is maintained, points out its functions and describes its consequences. The book also elaborates on the contents, processes and other factors involved in the peace building process.

Introduction
Part I: 1. Nature of intractable conflicts
2. Eruption of intractable conflicts
3. Escalation of intractable conflicts
Part II: 4. Collective memory of intractable conflicts
5. Ethos of conflict
6. Collective emotional orientations in intractable conflicts
Part III: 7. Institutionalization of the culture of conflict
8. Socio-psychological barriers to peaceful conflict resolution
Part IV: 9. Breaking the cycles of intractable conflict
10. Peace building: concepts and their nature
11. Peace building: processes and methods
Epilogue
References.

Subject Areas: Social, group or collective psychology [JMH], Sociology [JHB], Peace studies & conflict resolution [GTJ]