Publication date:

04 April 2014

Length of book:

328 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9780739188040

We know that since the end of the Cold War, conflicts in non-Western countries have been frequent, frequently violent, largely intra-state, and protracted. But what do we know about conflict management and resolution strategies in these societies? Have the dominant Western approaches been transplantable, suitable, effective, durable, and sustainable? Would conflicts in non-Western societies be better handled by the adaptation and adoption of customary, traditional, or localized mechanisms of mitigation? These and similar questions have engaged the attention of scholars and policy-makers. Indigenous Conflict Management Strategies: Global Perspectives is offered as a global compendium on indigenous conflict management strategies. It presents diverse perspectives on the subject. Fully aware of the tendency in the literature to over-generalize, over-romanticize, and over-criticize the localized and customary mechanisms, the book takes a slightly different approach. It presents a variety of traditional conflict management approaches as well as several cases of the successful integration of the indigenous and Western strategies in the contemporary period. The main features, strengths, challenges, and weaknesses of a multitude of indigenous systems are also presented.
This book convincingly stimulates a wider and deeper engagement with indigenous conflict management strategies in a world that has blinded many to the potency of non-Western traditions of conflict resolution, reconciliation, and peacebuilding. It is a welcome and essential resource for scholars and students of politics, culture, and conflict transformation who appreciate the relevance of culture and tradition as essential ingredients of peace, amity, friendship, and global understanding.