The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict
How Strategic Optimism and Social Psychology Uncover New Possibilities for Peace
About This Book
Transform your approach to conflict—within your community or across national divides—by adopting the powerful tools Kelman developed in a lifetime of peace practice. Learn how to address deep-rooted hostilities not through empty optimism or hardline negotiation, but by tapping social psychology, practical empathy, and collaborative problem-solving. Whether your arena is public policy, education, or daily relationships, you’ll discover how psychological insights, interactive workshops, and strategic optimism can shift political cultures, defuse dehumanization, and open the door to real reconciliation. Unlock these evidence-based strategies and join those reshaping the future of conflict resolution.About the Author
Herbert C. Kelman is an award-winning social psychologist, celebrated for his pioneering work on peace research, authority, and conflict resolution. A refugee from Nazi-occupied Vienna, he channeled his early experiences of injustice into a distinguished academic career, serving as the Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics at Harvard. Kelman’s legacy includes groundbreaking research on conformity, dehumanization, nationalism, and the ethics of social science—alongside decades of hands-on peacemaking, especially through interactive problem-solving workshops in the Middle East. His balanced, interdisciplinary approach has shaped generations of peace practitioners and scholars.
Biggest Takeaway
By engaging with these transformative concepts, you'll develop the skills to foster trust even in hostile environments, navigate intractable group disputes, and design interventions that actually shift entrenched attitudes and behaviors. Expect sharper thinking on social influence, increased awareness of the psychological roots of obedience and dehumanization, and the confidence to design or participate in dialogue processes that move disputes toward practical, sustainable change. You’ll leave with actionable frameworks and reflective questions for everyday and global challenges alike.
Key Insights from This Book
Explore the most important ideas and learn how to apply them in your life.
Why Ending Violence Isn’t Enough: Embracing Both Negative and Positive Peace
Obedience Isn’t Always Good: Breaking the Habit of Blind Authority
How Dehumanization Makes Violence Possible—and What Restores Human Dignity
Dialogue Isn’t Just Talk: How Interactive Problem-Solving Fosters Real Change in Intractable Conflicts
Strategic Optimism: How Deliberate Hope Counters Pessimism in Conflict
The Scholar-Practitioner Model: Why Theory and Practice Must Shape Each Other
Coalition Building Across Enemy Lines: Turning Uneasy Partnerships Into Progress
Justice and Peace: Why Fairness is Essential for Lasting Harmony
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