In two new books, Fathali Moghaddam, professor of Psychology at Georgetown University, addresses the challenges of dealing with diversity in an increasingly multicultural and interconnected world. While exploring concepts of multiculturalism and global conflict through the lens of psychological science, both books consider ways of organizing society to reduce conflict.

In his book, Multiculturalism and Intergroup Relations: Psychological Implications for Democracy in Global Context (American Psychological Association Press 2008), Moghaddam applies current psychological theories and empirical research on intergroup relations to a variety of cultures and conflicts across the globe. He explores the large-scale migration of refugees fleeing international conflict as well as the effects of 9/11 and the violent conflicts that have erupted in its wake.

In addition to the global perspective, Moghaddam considers local issues for societies, namely the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany, which are facing newly emerging racial, religious, and linguistic diversities within their own borders. He examines what psychological theory and empirical research can teach us about democracy and policies for managing diversity and crafts an argument for implementing contextualized democracy—the use of local cultural symbols and meaning systems as a way of strengthening democratic trends and bringing into place a democratic state.

“In an era of terrorism and widespread volatile conflict, popular and too often simplistic views of ‘culture clash’ are dangerously misleading. This well-written volume provides a fresh, insightful perspective on how social science research and theory can and should inform a democratic response to the challenges of cultural diversity and intergroup conflict,” says James N. Breckenridge, Center for Interdisciplinary Policy, Education and Research on Terrorism, Palo Alto, CA. “This book will be appreciated not only for the breadth of science covered but also for the inclusion of Moghaddam’s personal experience living in democracies and dictatorships around the world.”

In Global Conflict Resolution Through Positioning Analysis (Springer 2008), Moghaddam and co-editors Rom Harré and Naomi Lee, explore a radical new path toward understanding and resolving conflict. “The new path,” they write, “is part of the cultural-narrative turn and emerges primarily from research in psychology, linguistics, micro-sociology and philosophy.” They argue that positioning theory is at this new path’s core, “with its ability to reveal exquisitely subtle undercurrents of meaning and moral framing in conflict situations.”

They argue that positioning analysis offers new frameworks for understanding historical conflict and brings vital new perspectives to current political and ideological battles as well as for understanding daily disputes that result from societies’ multiple social identities and evolving self-definitions. Using positioning analysis, twenty expert contributors examine scenarios as simple as a committee meeting of four people, as complicated as centuries-old social movements and the shifting tensions in the Middle East.

Written by a multidisciplinary team coming from very different research backgrounds, this accessible book builds on an important strength of positioning theory, its multidisciplinary tradition. 

Fathali M. Moghaddam is professor of Psychology at Georgetown University. Moghaddam was awarded the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence, Division 48 of the American Psychological Association.

(January 15, 2008)