Helena Desivilya Syna – författare

This is the 146th issue in the New Directions for Evaluation series from Jossey-Bass. It is an official publication of the American Evaluation Association.

This is the 146th issue in the New Directions for Evaluation series from Jossey-Bass. It is an official publication of the American Evaluation Association.

This book focuses on managing diversity in regions and times of political tensions. Using Israel as an example, the author investigates diversity management in the socio-political context of a protracted national conflict – an area that remains largely unexplored.

Featuring the voices of different protagonists, as well as case studies, the book draws on an intersection between social psychological perspectives and critical sociological theories. This integrative conceptual approach mirrors the professional development of the author, who throughout her career has sought to unravel the enigma of complex human interpersonal and intergroup relations using a multifocal and interdisciplinary lens. This book underlines the need for interdisciplinary work, flexible approaches in dealing with the complexities of human relations and social structures, and an interface between research and practice.

Since the end of the Cold War in the early ’90s, a multi-track approach to peacemaking has been developed by academics and practitioners to bring political and civil society leaders together from across the divide of contested societies to find ways out of the conflict. Much of the focus up to now has been given to the strategic contribution of Track II conflict analysis and problem-solving workshops.

This book puts the spotlight on the role that grassroots leaders and citizens can play at Track III level in the community in building and strengthening a bottom-up approach to conflict transformation following protracted conflicts. In Part 1, the focus is on the post-conflict situation of Northern Ireland twenty years after the Belfast Good Friday Agreement. Part 2 portrays scholarly and practitioners’ perspectives and actions in communities and organizations designed to build partnerships in order to counteract the legacies of active protracted conflict.