The Psychology of Resolving Global Conflicts — From War to Peace

This three-volume set, edited by Fitzduff (director of the M.A. program in Coexistence and Conflict, Brandeis U.) and Stout (psychiatry, College of Medicine, U. of Illinois), highlights the contributions of psychology to thinking about issues of war and peace. No preference is given to any particular theory or school in the diverse approaches and conceptualizations presented. The 12 essays in the first volume explore topics arising from the longstanding debate over nature vs. nurture, discussing the causes of ethnic violence, the neuropsychology of conflict, and the ability of ordinary people to commit genocide, among other topics. The next volume is dedicated to group and social factors and contains 11 articles on such topics as the cultural constructions of conflict and peace, intergroup contact and the improvement of intergroup relations, dialogue and social justice in workshops of Jews and Arabs in Israel, and adolescents and political violence. The final volume deals with interventions, presenting 13 contributions addressing issues such as peacemaking among higher-order primates, the role of "voice" in intergroup conflict resolution, a social-psychological approach to interactive conflict resolution, psychosocial healing in postconflict reconstruction, reintegrating demobilized militia in Somalia, and cultural precursors and psychological consequences of contemporary Western responses to terrorism. Annotation c2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Mari Fitzduff is Professor and Director in the MA program in Coexistence and Conflict at Brandeis University. She was Chair of Conflict Studies at the University of Ulster from 1997 to 2003. Earlier, she was Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council, the main agency dedicated to developing and funding conflict resolution issues in Northern Ireland. She has worked on programs addressing conflict issues in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Her 2002 publication,Beyond Violence: Conflict Resolution Processes in Northern Ireland won an American Library Notable Publication Award.

Chris E. Stout is Founding Director of the Center for Global Initiatives and Clinical Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. A clinical psychologist, Stout is past-President of the Illinois Psychological Association, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Distinguished Practitioner in the National Academies of Practice, and a recipient of the APA International Humanitarian Award. He is also one of the World Economic Forum's Global Leaders of Tomorrow, and an Invited Faculty member at the annual meeting in Davos. Stout, series editor for the Contemporary Psychology series with Praeger, has authored or edited numerous books, including the four-volumePsychology of Terrorism (Praeger, 2002).