Integral Conflict: The New Science of Conflict

by Richard J. McGuigan, Nancy Popp, Ken Wilber (Foreword by), Vern Neufeld Redekop (Foreword by)

Overview

This book explores conflict through the discerning lens of Integral Theory, applying Ken Wilber's AQAL model to a real-life case study, the River Conflict. Coauthor Richard J. McGuigan was a mediator in this ongoing dispute over fishing rights on the Fraser River in British Columbia, a situation where commercial, recreational, and First Nations fishing interests clashed. Voices of the various stakeholders are featured prominently, giving a vivid sense of a seemingly intractable situation. McGuigan and Nancy Popp set the stage for their Integral analysis of the River Conflict, then move expertly through four chapters aimed at understanding the conflict from the four dimensions of human experience: individual, collective, interior, and exterior. The result is a powerful picture of just how "integral" conflict is. This quadrant-by-quadrant analysis is well-punctuated by sidebar observations, insights, and tips for conflict practitioners or students, giving readers new to Integral Theory additional support in understanding and applying the AQAL model to their work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781438460659
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	06/01/2016
Series:	SUNY series in Integral Theory
Pages:	330
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 10.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Richard J. McGuigan is Associate Faculty at the University of Victoria, in British Columbia, and is a scholar-practitioner in the conflict resolution and leadership development fields. Nancy Popp is an independent scholar-practitioner in the adult development and leadership development fields.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations xi

Foreword Ken Wilber xiii

Foreword Vern Neufeld Redekop xv

Acknowledgments xix

1 Introduction 1

Why Write This Book 4

AQAL: The New Science of Conflict 8

Who Is Ken Wilber? 10

2 The Conflict Field 23

Increasing Disorder, Chaos, and Crisis 26

Environment and Resource Conflict 26

International Conflict 26

National-Social Conflict 27

These are Wicked Problems and Conflicts 28

Complexity 29

Going Backward in Responding to Wicked Problems 30

The Dream of an Integrated Approach to Understanding Conflict 31

The Tower of Babel 31

Wave I: The Founders' Vision: A Unified Theory of Conflict 32

Wave II: The Rise of the Contemporary Conflict Movement 36

Problems with Violence and with Theory Development 43

The Dream Remains Unrealized 44

We Need a New, Radically Different Vision of the Present World 45

Wave III: Building Bridges: Realizing the Founders' Vision 46

The New Science of Conflict: The Inside and the Outside 47

3 Overview of the New Science of Conflict 51

Applications of Integral Theory/AQAL 53

An Evolutionary Vision 55

Integralism as a Transdisciplinary Model 57

Consciousness and Conflict 59

The New Science of Conflict: An AQAL Model 61

The AQAL Model of Conflict 63

The Five Elements of Integral Conflict 64

Different Ways of Investigating a Conflict 65

4 The Fraser River Conflict 81

The River Conflict 83

Some Voices in the River Conflict 85

Conclusion 91

Introduction to the Four Quadrants of Conflict-Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8 95

Introduction to the Left-Hand of Conflict-Chapters 5 and 6 99

5 The Upper-Left Quadrant (UL) 103

The Hidden Curriculum of Conflict 104

Meaning-Making: Constructing Realities 106

Identity Conflict Theories 107

The Evolution of Identity and Meaning-Making 109

An Evolutionary Lens: Understanding the Meaning of Fish 111

Mindsets in the River Conflict 111

Guidance from and for the Upper-Left-Hand of Conflict 124

Mindful Action 125

Conclusion to the Upper-Left Quadrant 126

6 The Lower-Left Quadrant (LL) 129

Cultural Evolution 131

Cultural Evolutionary Philosophers 134

Critiques of Cultural Evolution 139

Concern #1: Evolutionary Models Are Hierarchical 140

Concern #2: Obtaining Sufficient Data Is Impossible 142

Concern #3: Indigenous Cultures Are Seen as Mere Stepping Stones to Greater Cultural Complexity 142

Advances and Regressions in Evolution 144

Progress Is Dialectical 145

Differentiation Differs from Dissociation 145

Transcendence Means Inclusion not Repression 145

Natural Holarchy Is Different from Pathological Hierarchy 146

Lower Impulses Can Hijack Higher Structures 146

Cultural Evolution through the Lens of the New Science of Conflict 147

Cultural Worldviews 148

Implications for Conflict 156

Implications for Theory Development 161

Structural Violence 162

Ontological Violence 162

The Identity Group and Protracted Social Conflict 162

Needs Theory 163

Cultural Communication and Conflict 164

Implications for the River Conflict 164

Contact and the River People 165

The River Conflict and Mediator Interventions 167

Victimhood and Conflict 171

The River Conflict as a Clash of Worldviews 171

Conclusion to the Lower-Left Quadrant 173

The Left-Hand of Conflict 173

Introduction to the Right-Hand of Conflict-Chapters 7 and 8 175

7 The Upper-Right Quadrant (UR) 181

Human Behavior 182

What is Social Mediation? 183

It's in Our Nature 184

What's Real About Realism? 186

Constructive and Destructive Behavior in Conflict 187

The Inside of the Human Body 191

Evolutionary Psychology, Human Nature, and Conflict 194

Physical States, Health, and Conflict 196

Autopoiesis, Identity Development, and Conflict 197

It's in Our Blood 198

Application to the River Conflict 198

Conclusion to the Upper-Right Quadrant 199

8 The Lower-Right Quadrant (LR) 201

Social Evolution and Approaches to Conflict 203

The Big Machine: Functional Approaches to Conflict Theory 208

Gross and Subtle Reductionism 208

The Birth of Mechanism 209

Large-Scale Social Systems 211

Team and Group Behavior 212

Systems Theory and Conflict 215

Complexity Systems 215

Autopoietic Systems 216

Problems with Systems Thinking 217

Structural Conflict and Structural Violence 218

Power in Natural and Dominator Hierarchies 223

Social Systems and Structural Violence through the Lens of the New Science of Conflict 224

The River Conflict: Confronting Structural Conflict and Violence 225

Structural Inequalities 226

Responding to Structural Conflict 227

AQAL-Informed Strategies for Addressing Structural Conflict 229

Conclusion to the Lower-Right Quadrant 230

9 The Integral Vision of Conflict 233

Seeing the Whole of Conflict: The New Science of Conflict 234

The Integral Intervener: Cultivating Integral Consciousness 235

Recognizing and Engaging the Hidden Curriculum of Conflict 236

Immunity to Change 237

Integral Meditation 238

Developing Artistry through Practicing Ac don Inquiry 239

There Is No "Up" or "Down" 241

Notes 243

Bibliography 279

Author Index 297

Subject Index 303