Conflict and the Social Bond: Peace in Modern Societies PDF
Preview Conflict and the Social Bond: Peace in Modern Societies
Conflict and the Social Bond Is violent conflict inevitable? What is it in our social nature that makes us conduct wars, genocides and persecutions? The answer lies in how we are pro- grammed to bond and form communities that demand loyalty in order to let us belong. The analysis in this book cuts through the social sciences in order to show the fundamentals of violent conflict. The book investigates conflict at the level of sociality. It reorganises existing theories of conflict under that perspective and brings them to bear upon the link between violence and togetherness. It introduces the key concept of closure to describe the conditions under which human groups start to perceive their posi- tion as similar and their reality as polarised. This is how normality starts break- ing down and fault lines appear. Violent conflict is then analysed as a reaction that seeks change more rapidly than conditions seem to allow. Global comparative data from numerous studies – including M. Mousseau’s works – are used to disentangle the factors that contribute to “democratic peace”, that is, the fact that democratic societies do not go to war with each other. This inquiry reveals the new dimension of sociodiversity, which allows societies where individuality is strong to constantly produce alternatives and avoid closure. The book concludes with a coda on peace and sociodiversity which explains how contemporary societies can ensure durable peace and adequate social justice at the same time. Written in a clear and direct style, this volume will appeal to students, researchers and scholars with an interest in political sociology, anthropology, international relations or war studies, as well as conflict and peace studies. Michalis Lianos is Professor at the University of Rouen and the editor of Euro- pean Societies, the journal of the European Sociological Association. He is the author of The New Social Control (2012) and numerous other publications in the domain of late modern sociality. He has conducted several international research projects in the areas of risk, uncertainty, insecurity and conflict, and has taught in various European countries. Routledge Advances in Sociology 262 The Social Structures of Global Academia Edited by Fabian Cannizzo and Nick Osbaldiston 263 Citizenship in the Latin Ameri can Upper and Middle Classes Ethnographic Perspectives on Culture, Politics, and Consumption Edited by Fabian Cannizzo and Nick Osbaldiston 264 Youth and the Politics of the Present Constructing the Future Edited by Enzo Colombo and Paola Rebughini 265 Trade Unions and European Integration A Question of Optimism and Pessimism? Edited by Johannes M. Kiess and Martin Seeliger 266 Globalization, Modernity and the Rise of Religious Fundamentalism The Challenge of Religious Resurgence against the “End of History” (A Dialectical Kaleidoscopic Analysis) Dimitrios Methenitis 267 Urban Environments for Healthy Ageing A Global Perspective Edited by Anna P. Lane 268 Conflict and the Social Bond Peace in Modern Societies Michalis Lianos For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/ Routledge-A dvances-in-S ociology/book-s eries/SE0511 Conflict and the Social Bond Peace in Modern Societies Michalis Lianos First published 2019 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2019 Michalis Lianos The right of Michalis Lianos to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-i n-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978-1-138-29800-2 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-09886-9 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear To Sylvie Contents List of figures ix List of tables x Preface xi Acknowledgements xiii 1 Introduction: human sociality and the origins of conflict 1 Conflict or peace 1 Cooperation 4 Theories of conflict: internal social differentiation 9 Theories of conflict: external differentiation 15 Theories of conflict: biosocial traits 18 Conflict and the effects of a new, limited world 20 Violence and togetherness 21 2 Conflict as closure 26 Peace and the decline of community 26 Becoming ‘we’ 26 Openness and closure 30 The role of institutions 33 ‘Late modern’ versus ‘traditional’ settings 35 Conclusion 39 3 Conflict as change 42 Sociodiversity and the conscious path to peace 42 Change and legitimacy of outcomes 47 Belonging, sacrifice, division 52 ‘Branching out’ 54 Conclusion 58 viii Contents 4 Persistence of conflict and conversion to the enemy 61 Perceptual proximity 61 Cycles of uncertainty 65 The social cycle of conflict 76 Conversion to the enemy 82 Conclusion 88 5 Plurality and the rise of the individual 92 The dark side of democracy – and the luminous one 95 Pax mercatoria 100 Individuation and plurality 109 Alternatives within tradition 112 Conclusion 118 6 A turn in human sociality 121 From direct to institutional sociality 121 Institutional control and conflict 125 Conclusion: conflict dissolves into individuality 130 A coda on peaceful social change and the benefits of sociodiversity 137 References 140 Index 155 Figures 2.1 Dynamics of conflict onset 31 2.2 Inequality in human development 37 3.1 Dynamics of conflict duration 45 3.2 Status of political transformation and conflicts 49 3.3 Status of economic transformation and conflicts 49 4.1 Social power and conflict 69 4.2 Probability of dispute initiation as domestic unrest increases, comparing regime types: all dyads 1946–2000 72 4.3 The social cycle of conflict 76
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