Louis Kriesberg: Pioneer in Peace and Constructive Conflict Resolution Studies PDF
Preview Louis Kriesberg: Pioneer in Peace and Constructive Conflict Resolution Studies
Pioneers in Arts, Humanities, Science, Engineering, Practice 1 Louis Kriesberg Louis Kriesberg: Pioneer in Peace and Constructive Conflict Resolution Studies With a Foreword by George A. Lopez Pioneers in Arts, Humanities, Science, Engineering, Practice Volume 1 Series editor Hans Günter Brauch, Mosbach, Germany More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/15230 http://www.afes-press-books.de/html/PAHSEP.htm http://afes-press-books.de/html/PAHSEP_Kriesberg.htm Louis Kriesberg Louis Kriesberg: Pioneer in Peace and Constructive fl Con ict Resolution Studies With a Foreword by George A. Lopez 123 LouisKriesberg TheProgram for theAdvancement ofResearchonConflictandCollaboration Syracuse University Syracuse,NY USA ISSN 2509-5579 ISSN 2509-5587 (electronic) Pioneersin Arts, Humanities,Science, Engineering, Practice ISBN978-3-319-40750-0 ISBN978-3-319-40751-7 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-40751-7 LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2016942009 ©SpringerInternationalPublishingSwitzerland2016 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpart of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission orinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilar methodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publicationdoesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexemptfrom therelevantprotectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authorsortheeditorsgiveawarranty,expressorimplied,withrespecttothematerialcontainedhereinor foranyerrorsoromissionsthatmayhavebeenmade. Copyediting:PDDr.HansGünterBrauch,AFES-PRESSe.V.,Mosbach,Germany Thecoverphotowasobtainedfromthe UniversityofSyracusethatgrantedthecopyrightpermission to use it in this Springer book. All other photos in this volume are from the personal photo collection of the author who granted the permission to use them here. A book website with more information on Louis Kriesberg, including videos and major book covers is at: http://afes-press-books.de/html/PAHSEP_Kriesberg.htm. Printedonacid-freepaper ThisSpringerimprintispublishedbySpringerNature TheregisteredcompanyisSpringerInternationalPublishingAGSwitzerland First, I dedicate this book to the very, very many people who have supported me and helped me at each step, as I was making my way. While writing these reflections, they all came vividly to mind. They include my parents, brothers, wife, teachers, students, and many colleagues. Many continue to be sources of insight and encouragement as I carry on doing my work: my sons and their families, former students, new and old colleagues, friends, and my partner Paula. Second, I dedicate this book to the many people I know casually or only by reputation who have devoted a part of their lives to alleviating the injuries of sorrowful conflicts and to transforming destructive conflicts so that they are waged more constructively. Finally, I dedicate this book to the future generations who will struggle, constructively, to make their world more just and more peaceful. Some will do this as part of their regular lives and along with their daily preoccupations. Some will do this as their vocation, as part of their occupational career or their social lives. Many, I hope, will find this book useful in doing good deeds. Foreword Celebrating the Long Reach of Lou Kriesberg Louis Kriesberg’s remarkable career, spanning seven decades, is characterized by multiple, diverse, and continued contributions made to the fields of sociology and peace studies. Within each he became known for pioneering work in social pro- cesses, social movements, and patterns for dealing with social conflict in both domestic andinternational settings. As a sociologisthis ability tobring conceptual clarity along-side basic empirical studies permitted him to generate meaningful findings that, in turn, led his work to be widely cited and a cornerstone of the sociology of conflict field. Loumaywellhavebeenapeaceresearcherbeforethatdesignationexistedinthe US. His 1960s writings on poverty and family dependencies in the United States presaged the linkages between structural inequities and the quest for justice that would typify peace studies concerns of subsequent decades and have come into sharper focus in recent years. Lou brought a clearheaded ability to explore with scholarly passion and depth theories and concepts that were just emerging in the field. Whether the concept d’jour was intractable conflict, tools for de-escalation, constructive conflict, or conflict transformation, Lou provided rich and empirically meaningful definition, probed to further the relevance of the term, and recom- mended avenues for future research. He was especially adroit at gathering other scholars into ongoing investigation of what otherwise might have been simply a catchy conflict resolutionphrase, garnering onlyanoccasional scholarly reference. InthisbriefessayIwillexplorethesethemesfurther.ButinsodoingIalsowant to underscore that the diversity and volume of Lou’s contributions emerge from more than a brilliant and indefatigable academic. His accomplishments result from hisscholarlystylethathasbeeninclusiveofcolleagues,eventhosewithdrastically different ideas. He has always been an ‘engaged scholar,’ seeing the boundaries betweentheoryandpracticeasmeanttobebridged.Heexemplifiedtheimportance oftransnationalscholarshiplongbeforetheglobalera,whilehis‘praxis’workand commitments reinforced his local–global connections.Throughout hehasaimedat vii viii Foreword reducingviolencebybuildingtheeducationalfieldofconflictresolution,sothatwe might—ultimately—realize peace. I think there is a delightful irony that unfolds in considering Lou’s career. He tellsusdirectlythatheenteredthefieldofsociologyasaway“toprevent,stop,or mitigate destructive violence.” Without question, from the start to the not yet arrivedatconclusionofhiscareer,Louhasfirstandforemostbeenacommittedand amazinglyproductivesociologist.Buthisapproachtohisdiscipline,hisfascination withnewtopicstoinvestigate,andhistransnationalreachmadehimasociologistof a particular and distinctive kind. He opened new avenues for his discipline to considertransnationalactorsandhedemonstratedthattheinstitutionalparadigmof sociologycouldalsoembrace afocusonsocialmovements.Inmovingbeyondthe traditionofLewisCoser,hesoughttoinvestigateinacomprehensivemannerwhat was an ever-present reality of communal life–social conflict—as a core concept of hisfield.Andthisledhimtofindpeaceresearchersalsointerestedinsocialconflict at a level quite beyond sociology. The publication of his book, The Sociology of Social Conflict (1973) and the inauguration of the series, Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change (1978) expanded and enriched the field of peace studies beyond its historical and intellectual roots in international relations and political science. Within this impact was embedded a feedback loop. As Lou found in peace research those of like intellectual mind outside of the field of sociology, his publications were making sociology critical to the intellectual growth of peace research. As this progressed, the Research series became an important vehicle for young researchers publishing about topics joining sociology and peace research. The feedback loop comes to fruition by the late 1990s when the Peace Studies section in the American Sociological Association become the largest of such sections in any US academic society. Consistent with his important role as a sociologist-peace researcher and his distinctive style, Lou was an avid and insightful transnational investigator. He has detailed well his travels and the collegial associations he formed in various coun- tries. By the 1980s this resulted in his skillful blending of his early domestic researchintheUSwiththerealitiesofachangingworld.Undauntedbyhisinability to learn the Russian language so he could do research in that culture, he still was able from the 1970s onward to provide deep insight into the US–Soviet conflict cycles in ways that challenged the accepted paradigm of continued Cold War dynamics.Buildingfromhistravelintheregionandsignificantanalyticaltreatment of the issues which divided the parties he brought to the Middle East conflict insights about the potential for de-escalation and peace agreements. These cases weretreatedsystematicallybothinscholarlyanalysisandwithaneyetowardpolicy possibilities in his International Conflict Resolution: The US-USSR and Arab-Israeli Cases (1992). Lou’sworkasascholar-practitioneralsoplayedoutinhisdedicationtolocalas well as national and global organizations as well as his savvy for constructing university programs in conflict resolution. His vision and ability to maximize the linkagebetweenthelocalandtheglobalhasbeenmanifestthroughouthiscareerin Foreword ix hisparticipationin,andoftenleadershipof,awiderangeoforganizationsincentral New York. He also served in a wide range of professional sociological groups, ranging from the New York State Sociological Association, to the American Sociological Association, and to the International Sociological Association. Often related to this work would be his involvement in a variety of external training programs in conflict resolution and in ‘coping with conflict’ as he called it. On the face of it his service and leadership in peace studies professional orga- nizations was quite similar to that in his home discipline. But for those of us just beginning as peace studies academics, his roles and actions also constituted a significantexampleofprofessionalism.Interpersonallyhewasagentlementorwith deep insight. Organizationally he knew how to get things done. He brought these skills to the Peace Studies section of the International Studies Association in its early days, and to his work in the International Peace Research Association (IPRA).Mostnotably,alongwithfellowsociologistEliseBoulding,Loushinedin the meetings of the Consortium for Peace Research, Education and Development (COPRED). COPRED served as the nurturing ground for many of us in university based peacestudies.Butitwasanorganizationdeeplydividedalongthelinesofitsthree clustersofconcern.Manyacademicsinthesevariousprofessionalassociationshave long commented that there are few deeply divisive and painful arguments among scholarsorpractitionersasthosethatoccurwithinsuchpeaceassociations.Andthis played out in COPRED more than any other group. As witnessed by many of us, Lou Kriesberg represented the voice of reason and constructive conflict moving forward. Lou’s transnational sociology research interests, particularly his approach to international relations as detailed in the chapters of his edited work, Social ProcessesinInternationalRelations(1968)madealastingimpressiononanumber of us, grad students, in the interdisciplinary international relations program of the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. The essays in that book revealed his attention to important global trends while bringing smart conceptual and empirical classification sociology to the growing population of International Non-Governmental Organizations [INGOs or simply NGOs]. Frustrated with political science approaches and their narrow focus on ‘the nation-state’ a small group of us approached Lou to see if he could do a directed readingswithus.Inthatcoursewelearnedabouttheresearchdesignandhardwork thatwentintohisground-breakingprojectoncoding,classifyingandanalyzingthe structures, and actions of INGOs as significant transnational social actors in the interdependentworldofthemid-1970s.Henotonlytookusallonasanoverloadin 1973, but also guided us in the coding of the Yearbook of International Organizations in order to create a new data set for analyzing International GovernmentalOrganizations[IGOs]inthesamewaythatLouhasdoneforNGOs. And he generously served on our dissertation committees. Lou’s biographical essay details how he took advantage of opportunities in the mid-1980s to develop what was to become the highly regarded Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflict (PARC). His creation—with Neil
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