Book Reviews
Book Review by Helen Cowie
Cultural Variation in Conflict Resolution: Alternatives to Violence.
Fry, D. and Bjorkvist, K. (1997)
Mahway,
NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
ISBN:
0 8058 2222 4
This international collection of papers integrates perspectives on the resolution of violent conflict from such disciplines as anthropology, psychology, sociology, politics and education. The editors explicitly aim to draw on this range of sources in order to elicit common themes and identify effective skills for conflict resolution. The most important themes to emerge are:
- Alternatives to violence demonstrably exist. It is not the case that aggression is an innate biological drive and therefore inevitable.
- Culture plays a significant part in influencing the ways in which individuals perceive and select methods for dealing with conflict. Societies develop their own solutions, both formal and informal, when conflict appears. This fact is particularly relevant to conflicts between people of different ethnic, religious and social backgrounds.
- Studies of conflict resolution in a range of cultural settings provide a rich opportunity for us to reflect on and ultimately practise new ways of dealing with conflict and of developing sets of cross-cultural principles for addressing violence in different settings.
There is a deeply-held view in Western culture that human nature is inherently violent and that war is inevitable. This is not surprising. As I write the review, Protestant loyalist marchers are engaged in a head-on, seemingly unresolvable clash at Drumcree with police and local Catholic residents over their traditional right to march in celebration of the victory of King William III ’s forces at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 over the Catholic forces of James III. Yet cross-cultural studies indicate how flexible human nature and social systems can be, as demonstrated in cultures such as the Arapesh, the !Kung and the Semai. Violence is only one method amongst many for addressing conflict. Others include: non-violent protest, democrative elections, boycotts, legal systems, arbitration, conciliation and mediation.
The editors are rightly cautious in suggesting quick solutions, or the insensitive application of a method without awareness of the cultural and historical origins of the conflict in question. Throughout, they emphasise the need to be aware of social differences, for example, in "Avoidance strategies in Northern Ireland" where issues around religious conflict are scrutinised by researchers with first-hand experience of these contexts. The contributors also explore the method of conflict resolution as an alternative to war in such countries as Czechoslovakia and Latin America, each with a complex and bitter history of violent dispute. At a micro-level, researchers report their findings on conflict resolution strategies against aggressive behaviour in schools "Tackling peer victimization with a school-based intervention programme" by Dan Olweus and the inner-city "Beyond the Competition of Tears: Black-Jewish Conflict Containment in a New York Neighbourhood" by Ilsa Glazer.
The book ends with a moving appeal by Elie Wiesel, survivor of the Holocaust and Nobel Peace Prize Winner, to all of humanity to shift away from the glorification of war and to evolve culturally-grounded methods for handling international disputes. The greatest challenge to this, he argues, is society’s indifference and individuals’ feelings of helplessness.
These are concerns which we as peer educators share. This book should affirm new beliefs in the value of what we are trying to achieve with young people - our society’s future.
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