Conflict transformation

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Of conflict transformation is mainly spoken then, when the corresponding conflict intervention to a transformation , so conversion or redesign hinwirkt conflict parameters. This means that a changed behavior and a changed attitude towards the conflict , as well as appropriately processed and processed structural and cultural dimensions make it possible to create a new, non-violent (transformed) reality.

Such processes take place accordingly, both on a psycho-social and group level, and wherever people can be assigned to groups based on their characteristics and living conditions . This includes economics , politics and many other areas and shows the scope and effort required for a successful transformation. Conflict transformation practitioners are generalists with a focus on socio-political sciences, psychology, economics and other areas. The concept of restorative justice can also be understood as a form of conflict transformation in the sense of an alternative-constructive approach to justice. The concept of mediation is also based on a similar approach.

In contrast to classical conflict resolution , which is based on finding non-violent solutions to certain conflicting matters, conflict transformation reforms structures, questions cultures, makes one's own and other people's basic needs aware, and heals relationships. In the broadest sense, conflict transformation works with an expanded understanding of violence - often with the concept of structural violence introduced by Johan Galtung in the 1970s and in some cases with the concept of cultural violence that he coined in the 1990s . In the broadest sense, conflict transformation can also include the concept of "inner-psychic" which has always been covered in other disciplines (such as salutogenesis , resilience research , cognitive psychotherapy , psychohygiene , meditation practice ) (and which has so far hardly been considered by conflict research) Violence ", as pointed out by Karim Fathi , for example (Fathi 2011: 161f .; 263-299).

Johan Galtung , a co-founder of peace research that emerged in the 1950s and the tradition of conflict transformation established around the 1990s, and John Paul Lederach are considered to be the most important and best-known representatives of conflict transformation.

Emergence

The emergence of the tradition of conflict transformation goes hand in hand with the phenomenon of "postmodern wars" that has spread since the 1990s . The majority of these are referred to as "new wars", "ethnic" or "ethnicized conflicts" and / or internal wars. The new postmodern war, in which the killing of civilians is used as the main strategy on all sides, trumps the classic modern interstate war in its complexity. In practice, these new wars have proven to be unusually resistant to traditional approaches to dealing with armed conflict. In the case of peace negotiations in particular, where traditional agreements were discussed or even reached, the violence always broke out anew whenever the occasion arises. Examples can be found in Angola, Rwanda, Palestine / Israel and Sri Lanka. In the case of Angola and Rwanda, even more people died after signing the agreements than during the previous civil war (O'Toole 1997). Even in the current context of the "global war on terror", for example, the new constitutions have not brought peace in Afghanistan and Iraq. One of the many reasons for this failure in negotiations and agreements is the lack of complex (more) complex conflict analysis and resolution. The newly emerging forms of direct, warlike violence are only the tip of the iceberg in a field of many new structural and cultural conflict formations in the new phase of a “global, multinational world capitalism” (Jameson 1991). The tradition of conflict transformation has emerged against the background of important lessons learned from past peace processes. They include, among others,

  • that peace processes often fail because they take place behind closed doors at the top level of decision-makers, those affected remain excluded from the process, which is often used politically by opposition forces to boycott the peace process ;
  • that there is often a tendency to reduce complex conflicts to two conflicting parties, usually only putting moderate representatives of these conflicting parties around a round table, while excluded conflicting parties who are not accepted as negotiating partners prevent a constructive solution through the use of force;
  • that the conflicting parties have very different ideas of justice, of course see themselves as right and the others as wrong. In intercultural contexts in particular, however, the question of a “just” conflict resolution often cannot be answered;
  • that the willingness to empathize, to understand the other conflict parties, is not given, but that negotiations are only conducted as a continuation of the struggle with words;
  • that the conflicting parties are so stuck in their positions that it is impossible for them to explore new creative prospects for conflict resolution;
  • that the conflict is understood as a win-lose constellation, whereby a defined and fixed value of resources must be distributed. In this understanding, parties have goals, and at some point they have to give in to align their goals with the goals of the other party. The terms associated with these approaches are 'win-lose', 'zero-sum game', 'competition,' legalistic 'and include tactics such as' carrot and stick', threats of violence, 'threat, deception and embezzlement' and 'compromise towards the middle'.

Applications

Conflict transformation is a comparatively new tradition of conflict management, which emerged against the background of "new" complex (more) violent conflicts and is therefore still mainly used today in dealing with political conflicts. Among the few reference examples that have existed so far, the end of the Cold War , the end of the East Timor conflict and, above all, the end of the Ecuador-Peru conflict are assigned as typical cases of conflict transformation.

So far, little attention has been paid to the organizational level (corporate conflicts), the interpersonal level (e.g. marital conflicts) or the inner-psychological level (e.g. personal dilemmas) in the application of conflict transformation. Wilfried Graf , Gudrun Kramer and Karim Fathi are among the few conflict researchers and consultants who specifically expand conflict transformation to the work context of (psycho-) therapy , coaching , mediation and meditation and combine it methodically .

The conflict transformation approach is used in concrete terms, for example by the Swiss Institute for Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding (ICP).

literature

  • John Paul Lederach : From Conflict to Reconciliation. Dream boldly - act pragmatically. Neufeld Verlag , Schwarzenfeld 2016, ISBN 978-3-86256-068-4
  • Berghof Foundation (Ed.): Berghof Glossary on Conflict Transformation. 20 terms for theory and practice. Berghof Foundation, Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-941514-11-9 ( English and German edition online ).
  • Johan Galtung : 50 Years, 25 Intellectual Landscapes Explored. Transcend University Press / Kolofon Press, Oslo 2008, ISBN 978-82-300-0471-5 .
  • Wilfried Graf, Gudrun Kramer, Augustin Nicolescou: Conflict Transformation through Dialogue: from Lederach's rediscovery of the Freire method to Galtung's 'Transcend' approach. In: Journal for Development Policy. Volume 22, No. 3, 2006, pp. 55-83, ISSN  0258-2384 .
  • Fredric Jameson : Postmodern. On the logic of culture in late capitalism. In: Andreas Huyssen, Klaus R. Scherpe (Ed.): Postmoderne. Signs of cultural change. (= Rowohlts encyclopedia. Volume 427). Reinbek near Hamburg 1986, pp. 45-102.
  • John Paul Lederach : Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation across Cultures. Syracuse University Press, New York 1995, ISBN 978-0-8156-2656-5 .
  • Hugh Miall: Conflict Transformation: A Multi-Dimensional Task. Berghof Research Center for Constructive Conflict Management, Berlin 2004; berghof-handbook.net (PDF; 247 kB).
  • Kathleen O'Toole: Why peace agreements often fail to end civil wars. Stanford Report, Nov. 19, 1997 ( online ).
  • Petra Purkarthofer: Negotiation and Mediation: Permanent Dialogue as a Path to Lasting Peace. In: Anita Bilek (Ed.): Which Peace? Lessons from the war for Kosovo. (= Agenda Peace. No. 36). Agenda-Verlag, Münster 2000, ISBN 3-89688-084-5 , pp. 62-75.
  • Cordula Reimann: Assessing the state-of-the-art in conflict transformation. Berghof Research Center for Constructive Conflict Management, Berlin 2004; berghof-handbook.net (PDF; 406 kB).
  • Howard Zehr: Fair sons. Restorative Justice - How victims and perpetrators can be healed. Neufeld Verlag , Schwarzenfeld 2010, ISBN 978-3-937896-96-0

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Swiss Institute for Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding ( Swiss Institute for Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding )