Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Transforming Conflict: Communication and Ethnopolitical Conflict (Communication, Media, and Politics)

This studentoriented book introduces and explains the dynamics of conflict and resolution_particularly in ethnic, ethnopolitical, and intercultural or intergroup conflicts. Providing a basic overview of the elements of group conflict, ethnicity, identity, and diasporas, the book also explores the role of the mass media and key ways of using communication principles to understand and resolve conflict. It focuses on how to resolve problems by changing relationships and building new patterns of communication, not just managing or settling problems through acceptable political agreements. Transforming Conflict is a valuable text or supplement for courses in conflict resolution as well as international, group, or intercultural communication. Review No topic is more pertinent to contemporary social problems than ethnic conflict. Ellis integrates a wide array of political, psychological, and media literature to analyze symbolic and communicative approaches to ethnic conflicts. Challenging traditional perspectives, he presents a refreshing and powerful way to integrate micro processes with macro-political approaches through focusing on communicative relationships. This book is a must-read for practitioners, students, and scholars who aim to promote second-order change and conflict transformation.--Linda L. Putnam, Texas A&M UniversityTransforming Conflict is an admirable achievement. Don Ellis has produced an excellent and timely book examining not only the material and psychological causes of ethnic conflict but also bringing in the under-analyzed but crucial aspect of communications. Conceptually clear and empirically informed, this book is a must-read for students of ethnic conflict.--Richard C. M. Mole, University College London About the Author Donald G. Ellis is professor of communication at the University of Hartford.