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The third in a trilogy on communication and ethnopolitical conflict, this book focuses on multicultural groups significantly divided by politics and religion. These groups have become «fiercely entangled»; that is, they are inescapably politically, socially, and culturally interdependent. Using the Israeli Palestinian conflict as the primary example, Ellis offers a timely analysis of how communication can begin to untangle these groups. Group differences lead to cultural differences - some of the most difficult aspects of a conflict. This book examines the nature of group differences as well as solutions-based conflict resolution that is embedded in theories of communication and democracy.
Ellis argues that resources are unequally distributed and differences are the norm. Politics is used to manage these differences and although communication is the fundamental tool of conflict management, there are other components in resolving conflicts that complement communication approaches. Dialogue and deliberation are posed as workable responses to untangling these differences and managing intractability.
List of contents
Contents: Foundations of Multiculturalism - Group Rights - Reasonable Disagreement - Theorizing Communication and Ethnopolitical Conflict -Dialogue - Deliberation - Difficult Conversations - Islam, the West, and Conflict Resolution.
About the author
Donald G. Ellis is Professor of Communication at the University of Hartford. He is a Fellow in the International Communication Association, a Fulbright scholar, former editor of the journal Communication Theory, and author of numerous books and articles.
Summary
The third in a trilogy on communication and ethnopolitical conflict, this book focuses on multicultural groups significantly divided by politics and religion. This book examines the nature of group differences as well as solutions-based conflict resolution that is embedded in theories of communication and democracy.
Report
«In a globalizing world, any ethnic group that does not control a state is in danger of cultural extinction. In this thought-provoking book, Don Ellis takes up the question of how a democratic state should communicate with and about its ethnic minorities.» (Rick McCauley, Bryn Mawr College)
«Don Ellis' Fierce Entanglements grapples with the problems of ethnopolitical conflict in multicultural societies where resources and privileges are contested. He examines problems and prospects of cultural differences and power from a communication perspective. He shows how dialogue and deliberation are needed to begin to work through such entanglements and give shape to this important literature.» (Richard Buttny, Syracuse University)
«The book's breadth, as evident in its drawing from macro negotiation and diplomacy, meso intergroup and intercultural communication, and micro interpersonal relationships, makes it a tour de force and a must-read for scholars involved in any realm of conflict management.» (Linda L. Putnam, University of California, Santa Barbara)
