The Ashgate Research Companion to Religion and Conflict Resolution

This edited volume has great breadth and much of interest for a scholar in the general area of religion and conflict. It is unfortunately titled, as it is only partially reflective of the field of conflict resolution, which is a practice-based as well as a theoretically robust field. The series title of “Religion and International Security,” of which it is a part, is a much better descriptor of the actual focus of the book. A number of topics that are of academic interest, such as a review of the history of just war thinking and its religious roots, as well as pacifism, religious freedom, religious fundamentalism, faith-based peacebuilding, and so on are covered. Most are examined in the context of current cases. However, there are only a few chapters that offer a conflict resolution practitioner a practical sense of what does and does not work on the ground for those wishing to understand or intervene in conflicts with religious dimensions. One exception is the final chapter by El-Ali, which, although not a template for action, does explain how the Search for Common Ground is supporting peace through well-developed and innovative media channels strengthening real understanding and dialogue in multiple conflicts.

Action (physics) · Common ground · Conflict resolution · Context (archaeology) · Epistemology · Faith · Field (mathematics) · Fundamentalism · Peacebuilding · Political science · Social science · Sociology · History · Law · Philosophy · Religion, Society, and Development