The Role of Conflict on the Individual and Society

This compact volume offers new insights about conflict at the personal and societal levels. An editor's introduction precedes the book's two sections, "Personal Approaches" (two chapters) and "Societal Approaches" (three chapters). "Personal Approaches" offers two autoethnographic studies. The first, a narrative rich with recalled conversations, poetry, and reflections integrated with scholarly references, explores family engagement of a member's cancer diagnosis. The second treats intrapersonal conflict through inner conversations, offering a nontraditional scholar's reflections on success, insecurities, and resilience. "Societal Approaches" begins with a phenomenological/qualitative study of five heterosexual interracial dating couples from a bioecological framework, revealing eight themes relevant to conflict and relational definition. The next study, grounded in symbolic convergence theory, offers a fantasy theme analysis of ten documentaries, identifying three key themes defining the alt-right's rhetorical vision. The final chapter employs conflict framing and sports diplomacy to consider how Pelé (soccer), Dennis Rodman (basketball), and Lyle Thompson (lacrosse) take on the role of sports diplomat through their digital media platforms. The book is an interesting collection of potential value to communication and conflict researchers. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and researchers/faculty.

You won’t need to fight this text to get immersed; it pulls you into conflict quickly, deeply, and unabashedly. Readers are afforded a unique opportunity to engage with the nuance of internal and external conflict- recognizing that growth results from interlocution with ourselves and an innumerable combination of others.

Fascinating book! The five authors, all accomplished scholars, offer a revealing look at conflict from the perspective of relationships, family, self, society, and sport. For anyone who interacts with others (everyone), this is a must read.

Theresa MacNeil-Kelly’s The Role of Conflict on the Individual and Society enriches and clarifies discourses about navigating, and productively naming, conflict in human life. Bringing together intimate complexities of the personal and phenomenological with broad social and political issues and considerations, this collection is a valuable addition to those interested in cultivating “harmony despite difference” in divided times.