Peace Studies: Conflict Definition, Causes, and Types
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Questions and Answers

Which phase of conflict progression involves direct physical attacks and confrontations, leading to the spilling of blood and loss of life?

  • Escalation Phase
  • Containment Phase
  • Manifest Phase
  • Violent Phase (correct)

    • In the Dominance/Competition conflict handling style, the individual is both assertive and cooperative.

    False

    Define the Collaboration conflict handling style.

    Collaboration involves being both assertive and cooperative, working with the other party to find a solution that satisfies both parties' concerns.

    The _______ Phase of conflict progression involves violence breeding further violence and producing an escalatory momentum.

    <p>Escalation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Marx, when do new superior relations of production replace older ones?

    <p>After all the productive forces have been developed</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Marx predicted that conflict processes resulting from contradictions in capitalist economic production would lead to communism.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Karl Marx, what generates inherent conflicts of interest?

    <p>inequality in the distribution of resources</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Weber sees conflict as highly contingent on the emergence of ________ leaders who could mobilize subordinates.

    <p>charismatic</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the Conflict Theory with its respective theorist:

    <p>Marx = Conflict in societal classes leading to communism Weber = Dependence on charismatic leaders for conflict mobilization Dahrendorf = Productive and constructive conflict for social goals Parson = Viewing conflict as dysfunctional and abnormal</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is conflict defined as?

    <p>Opposition among social entities directed against one another</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to the lecture notes, which of the following are reasons for conflict?

    <p>All of the above</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define 'class consciousness' as described in the lecture notes.

    <p>Class consciousness is the workers' recognition of themselves as a class unified in opposition to capitalists and ultimately to the capitalist system itself.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main foundation of conflict transformation according to Galtung?

    <p>There is no viable alternative to creative conflict transformation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are some words that signify peace mentioned in the text? (Select all that apply)

    <p>Shalom</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to the global movement, education can be used to teach understanding and respect for all peoples, cultures, and values.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the aim of peace education?

    <p>The aim of peace education is to help individuals understand the nature and origins of violence and its effects on both victim and perpetrator; to create frameworks for achieving peaceful creative societies.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Peace education is a process of imparting specific skills, attitude, and knowledge on individuals to help them solve problems by building consensus, creating cultural awareness, and showing empathy, with the aim to build positive attitude about __________ and respect for democracy.

    <p>justice</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What activities are associated with peacebuilding?

    <p>All of the above</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Peacebuilding is a short-term process.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does peacebuilding aim to prevent through addressing root causes and effects of conflict?

    <p>recurrence of violence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Peacebuilding aims to create positive peace, characterized by the absence of ______ and the elimination of discrimination.

    <p>physical and structural violence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the following dimensions of peacebuilding with their focus:

    <p>Structural Dimension = Focuses on social, economic, and political foundations Relational Dimension = Focuses on reconciliation, forgiveness, trust building</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Kruger (1993:12), what can lead to ethnic self-consciousness, ethnically based demands, and ethnic conflict?

    <p>Conflict between indigenous and external elites</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Conflict can emerge through an interactive process based on the search for shared meanings.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Geert Hofstede's dimension of 'Power distance' define?

    <p>extent to which the less powerful person in a society accepts inequality in power and considers it normal</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Geert Hofstede, collectivist societies assume that individuals belong to one or more close 'in-groups' from which they cannot detach themselves, and thus have __________ integrated societies.

    <p>tightly</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the following conflict stages with their descriptions:

    <p>Formation Stage = Problem emerges, antagonistic shifts in attitude, early warning signs Escalation Stage = Formation of enemy images, hardening of positions, distorted perception Crisis Stage = Use of physical barricades, direct confrontation, eruption of violence De-escalation Stage = Gradual cessation of hostility, conflict weariness, external intervention Improvement Stage = Rethink, shift ground, efforts towards peace Transformation Stage = Removal of causes of conflicts, reconciliation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main thrust of issue transformation mentioned in the text?

    <p>Enhancing concordant tunes perception</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Needs in a conflict are often negotiable like interests.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What concept usually refers to what people or parties in a conflict want?

    <p>Interests</p> Signup and view all the answers

    ____ are often inextricably linked together and parties rarely want to trade them away in a conflict.

    <p>Needs</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is conflict mapping?

    <p>Conflict mapping is the graphical representation of a conflict in which conflicting parties are placed in relation to the situation on the ground.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does conflict tracking involve monitoring and recording?

    <p>All of the above</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Conflict transformation solely focuses on bringing a violent conflict to a cease-fire.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Issue transformation involves downplaying the importance of original conflict issues and emphasizing shared concern for _?

    <p>new issues</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is conflict analysis about?

    <p>Conflict analysis involves a critical review, interpretation, and explanation of observed conflict situations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the three categories of stakeholders in a conflict? (Select all that apply)

    <p>Secondary Stakeholders</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Primary stakeholders are those whose goals are compatible and do not interact directly.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Conflict analysis reveals the root causes, dynamics, issues, and __________ of conflict.

    <p>other fundamentals</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the following elements required to structure analysis of stakeholders:

    <p>Relationship = What is the interaction between the stakeholders? Agenda/Power = What are the agendas of key stakeholders for conflict and for peace? Needs = What are the needs of the different stakeholders? Action = What actions are the different stakeholders undertaking to promote peace or conflict? Cumulative Power = What is the cumulative power of actions for peace or conflict?</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Definition of Conflict

    • Origin of conflict: from Latin word "confligere", meaning to strike together
    • Technical definition: "opposition among social entities directed against one another" (Wright, 1990)
    • Key aspect: opposition, as opposed to cooperation
    • Implies that conflict arises when people or entities do not cooperate, including with the environment

    Objectives of Conflict Transformation

    • Possess good understanding, knowledge, and application of conflict transformation
    • Transform conflicts into basis of future cooperation among social entities

    Types of Conflict

    • Adversarial relationship involving at least two individuals or collective actors over a range of issues (e.g. resources, power, status, values, goals)
    • Expected outcomes: victory, defeat, domination, surrender, discrimination, neutralization, conversion, coercion, injury, or destruction
    • May also involve resolution, settlement, termination, stalemate, or transformation of the conflict

    Definitions of Conflict

    • Struggle over values or claims to status, power, and scarce resources (Coser, 1956)
    • Social situation in which at least two parties strive for goals that are incompatible or employ incompatible means to achieve a goal (Schmid, 2000)
    • Contests, competitions, disputes, and tensions between social forces (Schmid, 2000)
    • Goal-directed activity designed to improve the position of one party at the expense of the other (Schmid, 2000)
    • Perceived divergence of interests or a belief that the parties' current aspirations cannot be achieved simultaneously (Schmid, 2000)
    • Escalated competition between two or more parties, each aiming to gain advantage (Schmid, 2000)
    • Perceived incompatibility between two or more people or groups, including incompatibility of needs, interests, values, or aims (Lund, 1997)

    Conflict Theories from Sociological Perspective

    • Focus on power differentials, such as class conflict, and emphasize a materialist interpretation of history
    • Emphasize dialectical method of analysis, critical stance toward existing social arrangements, and political program of revolution or reform

    Karl Marx's Theory of Conflict

    • Based on dialectical materialist account of history
    • Posits that capitalism, like previous socioeconomic systems, will inevitably produce internal tensions leading to its own destruction
    • Advocates proletarian revolution and freedom from the ruling classes
    • Critiques political economy and false consciousness

    Max Weber's Theory of Conflict

    • Sees conflict as contingent on the emergence of "charismatic leaders" who can mobilize subordinates
    • Posits that subordinates are more likely to pursue conflict with superordinates when they withdraw legitimacy from political authority

    Conflict-Theory Model of Dahrendorf

    • Views conflict as necessary for achieving social goals
    • Sees conflict as productive and constructive
    • Introduces the concept of exogenous and endogenous conflicts

    Pluralist Perspective of Conflict

    • Views conflict as having a constructive contribution towards a healthy industrial order
    • Believes that conflict can resolve discontent, reduce tension, clarify power relations, and adjust the industrial structure### Pluralist Theory
    • Pluralists believe that different and divergent pressure groups can be harmonized through continuous negotiation, concession, and compromises to achieve peaceful social and political changes.
    • Effective communication is essential in preventing and managing industrial conflicts, which involves clear communication, understanding, and continuous dialogues among differing groups.

    Structural-Functional Theory

    • Talcott Parsons champions the Structural-Functional Theory, which asserts that individuals will adjust to a given structure in an organization, institution, or society.
    • Any change in the structure can cause conflict, which should be minimized to maintain stability and equilibrium.
    • The theory views conflict as dysfunctional, abnormal, and a disease that can be endemic to a society.
    • It focuses on maintaining the state of equilibrium and collaboration in the organization.

    Assumptions on Ethnicity and Conflict

    • Ethnicity has been viewed as a group setting associated with the idea of nationhood.
    • Instrumentalists' view of ethnicity and ethnic conflicts holds that ethnicity is a consciously crafted ideological creation, and ethnic conflicts result from the manipulation of the elite.
    • Thomson defines an ethnic group as a community of people who have a conviction that they have a common identity and common fate based on issues of origin, kinship, ties, traditions, cultural uniqueness, shared history, and possibly a shared language.
    • Bamass argues that ethnicity and nationalism are not "givens" but are social and political constructions created by elites to protect their wellbeing or gain political and economic advantage.

    Assumptions on Culture and Conflict

    • Culture refers to the sum-total of all human existence, including norms, values, traditions, beliefs, customs, languages, patterns of behavior, art, music, food, and mode of dressing.
    • Glen Fisher characterizes two kinds of societies: those based on achievement and those on ascription.
    • Weaver likens culture to an iceberg, with an external culture that is explicitly learned and conscious, and an internal culture that is implicitly learned and difficult to change.
    • Geert Hofstede describes four dimensions of culture relevant to conflict transformation: power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity.
    • John Paul Lederach posits that social conflict emerges and develops based on the meaning and interpretation people attach to actions and events.

    Role Theories of Turner

    • Role is defined as a set of activities associated with a position in an organization, including potential behaviors and not only those of the incumbent.
    • Turner's strategy is to use propositions from research studies to build more formal and abstract theoretical statements.
    • Some of the main tendency propositions include:
      • Roles emerge and persist through interaction.
      • Roles are assigned the character of legitimate expectations and are seen as the appropriate way to behave in a situation.
      • Roles tend to be complementary to others, and this operates to regularize interaction among complementary roles.

    Conflict Cycle and Stages of Conflict

    • The conflict cycle consists of:
      1. Latent phase: a conflict is dormant and barely expressed.
      2. Manifest phase: conflicting parties express their demands and grievances openly.
      3. Violent phase: direct physical attacks and confrontations lead to bloodshed and loss of life.
      4. Escalation phase: violence breeds further violence and produces an escalatory momentum.
      5. Containment phase: escalation comes to a halt, and there is hope for negotiations and mediation.
      6. Mitigated phase: the conflict behavior and attitude have been significantly changed with reduced or less violence.
      7. Resolution phase: the basic causes of conflict are addressed, and post-conflict peace-building is achieved.

    Note: I've used bullet points to break down the text into smaller, more manageable chunks, and focused on key facts and context to help students understand the material.### Importance of External Actors in Conflict Resolution

    • Provision of various forms of assistance and support to emerging civil society after conflict resolution
    • Support for programs on disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of former combatants, including child soldiers

    Conflict Handling Styles

    • Two basic dimensions: assertiveness and cooperativeness
    • Five conflict handling styles:
      • Dominating/competing: high assertiveness, low cooperativeness
      • Accommodating: low assertiveness, high cooperativeness
      • Avoiding: low assertiveness, low cooperativeness
      • Collaborating: high assertiveness, high cooperativeness
      • Compromising: moderate assertiveness, moderate cooperativeness

    Model Two: Approaches to Conflict

    • Three classifications:
      1. Avoidance/denial: avoiding conflict, pretending it doesn't exist
      2. Confrontation/fighting: using power to resolve conflict
      3. Problem-solving: collaborative approach to resolve conflict, focusing on mutual respect and understanding

    Peace Education and Peace-Building

    • Peace education: a process of imparting skills, attitudes, and knowledge to promote peace and non-violence
    • Goals of peace education:
      • Promoting understanding and respect for all cultures and peoples
      • Enhancing communication and conflict resolution skills
      • Fostering a sense of global interdependence and cooperation
      • Encouraging the development of a peaceful and non-violent lifestyle
    • Peace education covers topics such as anti-racism, conflict resolution, multiculturalism, and cross-cultural training

    Role of Peace Educators

    • Peace educators: facilitating a process of teaching encounters that draw from people's desire for peace and non-violence
    • Tasks of peace educators:
      • Encouraging commitment to peace and non-violence
      • Informing students about the consequences of war and social injustice
      • Informing students about the value of peaceful and just social structures
      • Encouraging students to imagine a peaceful future
      • Caring for students and encouraging them to care for others

    Methods of Achieving Post-Conflict Sustainable Peace-building

    • Understanding peace building: a wide range of activities associated with capacity building, reconciliation, and societal transformation
    • Approaches to peace building:
      • Capacity building
      • Reconciliation
      • Societal transformation

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    Description

    This quiz covers the definition, causes, and types of conflict, including its origin from the Latin word confligere. It also explores the technical definition of conflict as opposition among social entities.

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