Care And Conflict

Mediation and Conflict Resolution in Social Work and the Human Services

This timely collection written from a social work perspective includes original chapters by leading experts in specific fields of mediation and conflict resolution. Each chapter examines a field of practice, describes the actual mediation/conflict resolution process, considers current debates and research, and provides alternatives to mediation. Gender, race, class, and cultural diversity issues are integrated throughout the text, with a separate chapter addressing mediation and multicultural reality.

Health Care and Conflict

Words of Conflict, Words of War

This highly insightful and cohesive group of studies reveals the power of political narratives to create conflict and peace. Words of Conflict, Words of War: How the Language We Use in Political Processes Sparks Fighting is a fascinating exploration of the narratives leaders use to position both themselves and others in the course of political processes that lead to peace or conflict. Drawing on the relatively new field of "positioning theory," expert essays provide insights into the ways words position us—for better or worse—and influence our intended results. The focus on narratives, from the interpersonal to the international, leads to a better understanding of political processes and conflict resolution. Part one of the study deals with micropolitics and personal positioning. Part two explores positioning by political parties and factions. Links between micro and macro are illustrated by leadership studies of individuals such as President Barak Obama, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President George W. Bush, Governor Sarah Palin, and the Reverend Ian Paisley. The focus throughout is on how a leader can use language to redirect collective politics in support of conflict or of peace.