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Conflict
Analysis
In order
to deal with a conflict constructively, it first needs to be understood. A
conflict does not just have to made apparent in terms of its dynamics, contours
and effects, but also the forms of behaviour, background interests and needs of
the conflicting parties need to be perceived.
It is important here to visualize the level at which information and options for
action exist. Tilman Grammes and Agnes Tandler differentiate the following
levels of reality for educational work:
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Documentary
Evidence: the
oral and written evidence as a legacy of an event: speeches, minutes, notes
in files, forms, pamphlets etc.
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Media
Evidence: the
reports triggered by an event: newspaper articles, radio and television reports,
news agency reports, commentaries, readers' letters etc.
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Reflective
Evidence:
summary reports, analyses, scientific studies, etc.
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Didactic
Evidence:
School books, teaching material etc.
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The
subjective experience of those involved in a conflict is represented by
differentiating between these levels of reality. In an conflict, various
different interests and needs are always joggling for influence (power) and to
be heard against different levels of reality and various possibilities.
Analyzing conflicts has nothing to do with compiling a body of information and
evidence, but mainly deals with interpreting, appraising and evaluating this
information.
Since communication in all its forms (verbal, symbolic, non-verbal) needs to be
understood as the key to dealing with conflicts constructively, special
importance is ascribed to the analysis of the requirements for successful
communication.
Social psychologists repeatedly point out quite correctly that we can only put
our finger on something if we have terms at out disposal to name it, and that we
can only comprehend something if we have (at least preliminary) descriptive
models at out disposal. Hence, conflict analysis deals with systematising
perception and providing explanatory aids.
It becomes clear here that there is not just one 'correct' method of analyzing
conflicts, but that various methodological approaches exist and that their
useful application depends on the specific situation at hand.
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The Ten
Methods of Conflict Analysis
Analytical
methods with the whole conflict in view:
1.
Initial
mapping and approaches [... more]
2.
Systematic
questioning: the analytical raster from Ulrike Wasmuth
[... more]
3.
Systematic
questioning, the analytical raster from the Media Peace Centre”
[... more]
4.
Circular
questions/Changes in perspectives
[... more]
5.
Mapping:
visualizing conflicts [...
more]
6.
Working
with case studies [... more]
Methods
for visualizing individual aspects of a conflict:
7.
Frozen
pictures
[... more]
8.
Energy
field analysis [... more]
9.
Recognizing
and formulating one's own position
[... more]
10.
Me in
conflict: a picture of myself
[... more]
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[Autor: Günther Gugel, Tübingen
Institute for Peace Education; Editor: Ragnar Müller]
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