The Handbook of Conflict Resolution

Many practitioners of conflict resolution dismiss the contributions of theorists and researchers, particularly when the research challenges their own opinions or methods. At the same time, scholars often fail to utilize the expertise of highly skilled practitioners in their development of theory, and research designs often fail to take into account what practitioners and policy makers want or need to know. In response to the growing concern in the field of conflict resolution over this “gap” between theory and practice, in 1999 the ICCCR began convening an informal seminar on conflict resolution theory and practice. The lively discussions from this seminar inspired the development and publication of The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice, edited by Professors Morton Deutsch and Peter T. Coleman (Jossey-Bass, 2000). Many of the chapters of the book are organized by first presenting the theoretical ideas in the substantive areas being discussed, then drawing out the implications of these ideas for understanding conflict, and concluding with the development of these ideas for educating or training people to manage their conflicts more constructively. This book was the recipient of the Center for Professional Responsibility (CPR) 2000 Award for Excellence.

We have begun work on a second edition of the Handbook and have added a third editor to the team, Eric Marcus. The second edition is intended to be an updating of the chapters in the first edition to reflect current research, theory and practice, as well as adding new and innovative chapters. The second edition is scheduled for release September 2006.