Human conflict from family feuds to labor strikes to national warfare is an ever present and universal social problem and the methods to manage it a challenge for everyone from average citizens to policymakers and social theorists Using Conflict Theory will educate students about how under what conditions and why conflict erupts and how it can be managed It is a unique classroom book blending theory and practical application and the first to bridge for students the science of social theory and the art of practice The authors extract from classical sociological theory Marx Dahrendorf Weber Durkheim and Parsons and interpret for the student how these theoretical perspectives have contributed to understanding social conflict its sources the causes of escalation and de escalation of violence the negotiations process The perspectives of contemporary theorists such as Randall Collins James Coleman Joseph Himes Hubert Blalock are also brought to bear on these questions
