Review by Choice Review
It is a little hard to know for whom this book is intended, other than the group of apparently like-minded activist-scholars of multicultural conflict resolution practice who came together to write these essays. Some essays are written from a scholarly point of view, others are from either a practitioner or specifically anthropological viewpoint. The authors share an aversion to what they understand the "Western" and anthropocentric stance of "traditional" conflict resolution theory to be. The essays are nicely written for the most part, though occasionally an appallingly Western social science jargon intrudes. Some of the essays appear culturally self-indulgent and self-regarding. On the whole, the book's contribution is limited by its refusal specifically to identify and criticize the wide range of existing conflict resolution literature. It is hard to identify the particular contribution of this loose group of writers and actors. The volume can and should be read as an "outsider's" view of the problem of social conflict. As such, it is of some interest. But it seems like a missed opportunity to enrich thinking about conflict resolution. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. S. N. Katz Princeton University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
