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Using Sociology For Conflict Resolution
Sometimes sociologists and other social scientists are called upon to solve problems in the wider world. In recent years there has been growing interest in Public Sociology that considers how, when, and where sociology can make a difference in the world. Public Sociology was the theme of the 2004 American Sociological Association (ASA) annual meeting, set by ASA President Michael Burowoy. The meeting was in San Francisco, California, and one of the big sessions there was “Speaking to Powers: A Global Conversation.” A distinguished panel discussed various ways they have tried to do this. One speaker was Johan Galtung, a mathematician who once taught sociology at Columbia University. He founded an international peace and development organization called Transcend, and has written a book, Transcend and Transform, that offers ideas for resolving conflicts around the world. His videotaped talk, introduced by Immanuel Wallerstein of Yale University, in 2004 describes how a decades-long war between Ecuador and Peru was resolved using some of the principles he identifies.