ARCR 808 - The Anthropology of Peace and Conflict: World Wisdom for Conflict Resolution3 credits
All societies experience conflict. Any society, no matter where or what size, will have within it individuals and groups with varying and often competing needs and interests, inevitably leading to conflict. Accordingly, whether pursuing a utopian ideal of social harmony or simply avoiding self-destruction, all societies have developed tools and methods for resolving internal conflict and disputes. With the proliferation of conflict resolution and alternative dispute resolution practice in the United States, however, and with the tendency of Western powers to leading the way in global conflict resolution (e.g. the UN), non-Western models of conflict resolution that are effective and powerful have often been neglected.
In this course, we will examine the various ways that peoples around the world, over the millennia, have developed sophisticated conflict resolution strategies: from individual mediators and informal councils of elders, to formal structures for lodging grievances and sanctioning solutions, and all the tools used therein.
We begin with a general theory of conflict resolution, examining different models for understanding conflict (e.g. harmony vs. confrontational). This is followed by an exploration of case studies from cultures around the world, both past and present. The course concludes with a series of exercises wherein students compare conflict resolution strategies and practice implementing these strategies by engaging in role-playing simulations.
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