This module will make you aware of the definitions of conflict and peace. It will also explain the philosophies guiding the analysis of conflict and peace studies. It is important because it will help you
understand the subsequent modules. The objectives below specify what you are expected to learn after going through this module.
3.0 MAIN BODY
3.1 Definitions of Conflict
Careful analysis of these definitions will reveal what they have in common. First, they indicate the inevitability of conflict in human affairs. Second, they reveal key features of conflict situations. Many of
the definitions, for example, stress that conflicts involve interdependent parties who perceive some kind of incompatibility between them.
Author(s) Definition Key Terms Coser 1956
Social conflict is a struggle between opponents over values and claims to scarce status power and Resources Struggle, opposition, scarcity
Deutsh 1973
A conflict exists whenever incompatible activities occur … one party is interfering, disrupting, obstructing, or in some other way making another party’s actions less effective Incompatibility, inter-ference, effectiveness
Hocker and Wilmot 1985 ‘Conflict is the interaction of interdependent people who perceive incompatible goal and interference from each other in achieving those goals’ Behaviors, disagreement, com-petition
Conrad 1991 Conflicts are communicative interactions among people who are interdependent and who perceive that their interests are incompatible, inconsistent, or in tension Communication, inter-dependence tension
3.2 Definition of Peace
Peace is defined as ‘a political condition that ensures justice and social stability through formal and informal institutions, practices and norms’.
Miller and King (2003). It is dangerously misleading to think that the absence of war means the presence of peace. It is also important to know that simply avoiding conflicts, does not mean peace, but acting in
accordance to some of the conditions that must be met to guarantee peace in any society. Balance political power sharing in any region; legitimacy for decision makers and implementers in the eyes of their respective groups, supported by external parties through transparency and accountability; recognized and valued interdependence among the people fostering long-term co-operation during disagreements, agreements, normality and crises; trusted and reliable institutions for resolving conflicts; mutual understanding of incompatibility, and every member of that community must be given a sense of respect and belonging in principle and practice, collectively and individually in accordance with international standards. All these conditions mentioned above come to guarantee positive peace. Peace sought outside the premise of social justice as mentioned above is called negative and it is not true peace.
3.3.3 Conflict Resolution
This perspective talks about mediation, negotiation and arbitration. These processes encouraged the use of neutral third party to facilitate the process of peace making. The processes could be applied to inter and intra personal and group conflicts. These processes can be studied and practiced independently. Agreements reached with these processes can be binding, therefore enforceable in the court of law.
3.3.4 Pacifism
This is historical theory that rejects war as a means of settling disputes. This theory argues that peaceful efforts should be applied in conflicts. It was first used in 1902 at the tenth Universal Peace Conference at Glasgow, Scotland. People opt for pacifism because of religion or the belief that war is ineffective and obsolete. To some, it goes beyond no war, to include the pursuit for justice and human rights. We have absolute pacifists who believe in no war, even, for self- defence. But the conditional pacifists oppose war and violence in principle, but recognize war to be the last resort in some cases. Some pacifists engage in humanitarian acts during wars, but some just refuse to participate in any form. They may be sentenced to community services in cases of state assignments that they refused to be drafted in.
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