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Call for Papers: Special Issue of American Behavioral Scientist on Intractable Conflict

Posted: 29 January 2005

This is a reissue of an earlier call for papers on this same topic. Please note that, because of a change in the management of the International Journal of Conflict Management, this special issue will now be published in American Behavioral Scientist instead of IJCM. The substantive focus of the special issue remains the same. However, the date for submission of papers has been extended to February 24, 2005. Please see below for complete submission information.

Intractable conflict is an arena of conflict studies that is ripe for exploration. Intractable conflicts are characterized by intransigence, longevity, complexity, and serious trauma for the disputants and often for bystanders as well. These conflicts erupt over a variety of issues, including high stakes distributional issues, value and identity-based problems and threats to health and human safety (Putnam & Wondelleck, 2003). The concerns at stake in these conflicts run the gamut from political to moral to historical to spiritual, but what links them together is their stubborn persistence. Intractable conflicts typically defy resolution through normal conflict resolution processes--both formal and informal. The consequences of intractable conflicts are devastating for families, governments, and entire societies, as well as for the natural environments in which they occur, and, in many cases, the costs are incalculable. For scholars and practitioners alike these conflicts pose daunting challenges precisely because of their stubborn persistence and their real or potentially disastrous consequences.

In this special issue we explore the nature of intractable conflicts, their root causes, and innovative approaches for reversing or ameliorating them. While theoretical interest in intractability has been growing (Burgess & Burgess, 1996; Coleman, 2000; Lewicki, Gray & Elliott, 2003), so have the number and kinds of conflicts that fall into the intractable category. Scholars have begun to view these conflicts as complex, non-linear phenomena that operate as self-sustaining systems distinct from other forms of conflict (Coleman, 2003). Consequently, understanding the dynamics that reinforce hostilities over time (even over multiple generations) becomes important for theoretical development as well as for implementing successful interventions. Toward this end, several promising new lines of inquiry have begun to emerge including research that links disputants' framing to intractability (Lewicki et al., 2003), work on the role of identity threats and identity preservation (Rothman, 1997; Kelman, 1999) and research using dynamic modeling to depict the complex interactions that give rise to intractability (Coleman, et. al., 2004). Among the theoretical topics of interest for this special issue are the following:

• What are the sources of intractable conflicts? Why do some disputes persist interminably and resist resolution while others are more malleable and susceptible to resolution?
• What is it about the parties themselves, the issues, the social system in which the conflict is embedded and/or the conflict resolution mechanisms available to the disputants that fosters intractability?
• What new theoretical perspectives can inform the complexity and self- sustaining quality of intractable conflicts as social systems?
• How do identity construction processes and emotion fuel intractability?
• What mechanisms (e.g., rhetorical, cognitive, emotional, relational) account for escalation rather than de-escalation in these situations?
• What external circumstances (e.g., normative, institutional, environmental, political) promote intractability or generate opportunities for shifting the conflict toward more tractable outcomes?
• What new theoretical insights are needed to inform processes for unlocking these entrenched conflicts? For stemming escalatory dynamics? For fostering civil dialogue? For restoring civil society and lasting governance processes?

This call for papers is aimed at a wide array of conflict scholars--from those studying large ethnic or transboundary conflicts and global human rights disputes to those focused on more local or regional conflicts (e.g., environmental disputes), to controversial social and ethical policy dilemmas (e.g. abortion, genetic engineering, stem cell research), to micro-level disputes (within families or workgroups) that reflect intractable dynamics. Studies using a variety of methodological techniques are encouraged including (but not limited to): discourse analysis, laboratory studies, event history analyses, case studies, survey research, and participant observation. Articles focused solely on theory development are also welcomed as are papers that present novel approaches to managing intractable conflicts.

Authors should strive to satisfy the following criteria in preparing their submissions:

• Provide new insights into intractable conflicts and their constructive management or resolution
• Employ a theoretical rational for understanding or intervening in intractable conflicts.
• Reflect critically on the boundaries and limitations of their conceptual and practical models.
• Write in a manner both credible and accessible to scholars and practitioners alike.
• Be no longer than 35 pages (including tables, references, figures, etc.)
• Double-spaced with 1 inch margins..

All papers will be blind reviewed by a panel of reviewers assembled for this special issue. Manuscripts should be submitted in electronic form by February 24, 2005 to: Peter T. Coleman <pc84@columbia.edu>;. For inquiries, contact Peter at International Center for Cooperation & Conflict Resolution, Box 53, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 West 120th St., New York, NY 10027, (212) 678-3112.

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References:

Burgess, H, & Burgess, G. (1996). Constructive confrontation: A transformative approach to intractable conflicts. Working paper; University of Colorado, Boulder.

Coleman, P. T. (2000). Intractable conflict. In M. Deutsch & P. T. Coleman (Eds), The handbook of conflict resolution: Theory and practice (pp. 428-450). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Coleman, P. T. (2003). Characteristics of protracted, intractable conflict: Towards the development of a meta-framework - I. First paper in a three-paper series. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 9(1), 1-37. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Coleman, P. T., Schneider, A., James, C. C. F., Adams, D. S., Gameros, T. A., Hammons, L. R., Orji, C. C., Waugh. R. M., & Wicker, R. F. (2004). Intragroup subgroup attitude clustering, external intervention, and intergroup interaction patterns: Toward a dynamic model of protracted intergroup conflict. Paper presented at the International Association of Conflict Management Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, June 2004

Kelman, H.C. 1999. “The Role of Social Identity in Conflict Resolution: Experiences from Israeli-Palestinian problem-solving workshops.” Paper presented at the International Association of Conflict Management, San Sebastian, Spain, June 22.

Lewicki, R., Gray, B., and Elliott, M.(Eds.) (2003). Making sense of intractable environmental disputes, Washington, D.C.: Island Press.

Putnam, L. & Wondolleck, J. (2003). Intractability: Definitions, dimensions, and distinctions. In Lewicki, R., Gray, B., and Elliott, M. (Eds.). Making sense of intractable environmental disputes, Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 35-59.

Rothman, J. (1997). Resolving identity-based conflict in nations, organizations, and communities; San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.