Our Resources
There are a myriad of ways to think more deeply about conflict.
We use this space to share resources that are meaningful to us, and to offer readings, podcasts, video and various other media for both entertainment and edification.
We include upcoming events (of which we are aware) in culture and arts that implicate peace-building work. Please know that we have no affiliation with any of our suggestions.
We welcome your thoughts and insights over email, should you wish to weigh in on a recommendation or offer one of your own.
What we are reading
While there are a staggering number of resources available in this field - and we include a good number below - we wanted to highlight the place of fiction in sending messages of bridge-building and peaceful co-existence. And no such list can be without our inaugural read:
Bel Canto, Ann Patchett (2005)
As a reviewer for the New York Times has written,
“‘Bel Canto‘ often shows Patchett doing what she does best -- offering fine insights into the various ways in which human connections can be forged, whatever pressures the world may place upon them.”
What we are watching
At about this time in each year’s award season, we start catching up on the films with accolades. No story is without conflict, of course, so we look for those portrayals that have imagination and intelligence and heart.
Banshees of Inisherin will give you those qualities, and then some. Set during the Irish Civil War, and with sounds of artillery creating a metaphorical backdrop, the tale is a simple fall-out between two old friends. One friend believes he has outgrown the other, leaving his pal forlorn and confused. Inevitably, confusion turns to anger, then grief, and finally acceptance, as Colin Farrell demonstrates a range of subtle emotionality.
See it for the stunning cinematography. Or for the stellar performance of the two leads. And ponder what lessons it brings on the futility of trying to dominate another’s viewpoint, despite how strongly you present “your side.”
What we are hearing
We enjoy the podcast out of Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, The Science of Happiness. This episode, Why Listen to the Other Side, not only explores difference of opinion but also the important place of art in bridging divides.
Art & Conflict
Last month we talked about a public installation titled, Embrace, a new tribute to MLK found in Boston Common. This month we look at an installation at UN Headquarters, in NYC, where Marguerite currently is attending CSW67. The UN gardens hold many sculptures; yet, Non-Violence - or Knotted Gun - is perhaps the best loved. Created in memoriam for John Lennon in the wake of his assassination, the bronze sculpture, in the words of Kofi Annan, “has enriched the consciousness of humanity with a powerful symbol that encapsulates, in a few simple curves, the greatest prayer of man; that which asks not for victory, but for peace.”
Library
There are many “best of” lists for readings in the field of Peace-building and Conflict Resolution. We have curated a list that we believe reflects diversity in gender, ethnicity and voice - bringing readers the opportunity to consider a variety of perspectives and methodologies.
Conflict Resolution
Our bookshelves are filled with instructive guides in mediation and negotiation skills; we have included only a handful here as a starting point for those who are interested. We will continue to expand our offerings, and we will include broader discussions on sources of dispute and methods of pre-emption.
A Paradise Built in Hell, Rebecca Solnit (2010)
Crucial Conversations, Emily Gregory et al. (2021)
Getting Past No, William Ury (1993)
Getting to Yes, William Ury and Roger Fisher (1981)
High Conflict, Amanda Ripley (2022)
Nonviolent Communication, Marshall Rosenberg (2015)
Diversity & Inclusion
We include here recommendations for books on diversity and inclusion, as we believe that the enhancing of respect, compassion and dignity within workplaces necessarily will promote a more peaceful atmosphere for dealing with disagreement and emotion.
Bias Interrupted: Creating Inclusion For Real and For Good, Joan Williams (2021)
Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People, Mahzarin Banaji & Anthony Greenwald (2021)
Leading with Dignity, Donna Hicks (2019)
The Empathic Workplace, Katharine Manning (2021)
The Leader’s Guide to Unconcious Bias, Pamela Fuller (2020)
The Loudest Duck: Moving Beyond Diversity While Embracing Differences,
Lisa Liswood (2022)
Family & Work Balance
While we mediate in a wide variety of contexts, we have developed something of a sub-specialty in addressing the complexities surrounding the intersection of work and family obligations (including drafting interfamily contracts and post-nup agreements, and preparing for workplace negotiations around leave, flex and accommodation.)
Good and Mad, Rebecca Traister (2018)
On-Ramp: EveryMom’s Guide to Going Back to Work, Marguerite Dorn (2016)
(this book is the one exception to no-remuneration-upon-purchase, as Marguerite is the author.)
Perfect Madness, Judith Warner (2005)
The Price of Motherhood, Ann Crittenden (2001)
The Second Shift, Arlie Hochschild (2003)
The Way We Never Were, Stephanie Coontz (1992)
Mind, Body & Spirit
We will succeed more readily in our efforts toward peaceful conflict resolution when wellness is maximized, and we address our disagreements from a posture of clarity, energy and joy. We include a few of the readings here that have spoken to us on subjects of focus, lightness, positivity and purpose.
Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1990)
On Tyranny, Timothy Snyder (2017)
Quiet, Susan Cain (2012)
The Art of Choosing, Sheena Iyengar (2010)
The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1943)
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey (1990)
War & Peace
A Problem from Hell, Samantha Power (2002)
A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Mary Ann Glendon (2001)
Act of Creation, the Founding of the United Nations, Stephen Schlesinger (2003)
Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War,
Samuel Moyn (2021)
Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order, Ray Dalio (2021)
War in a Time of Peace, David Halberstam (2001)
International Peace & Security
Please visit us at twitter, @MMDornM, where we talk about current matters of international peace and security - and welcome your insights and feedback.
This week (2/17 - 2/24, 2023) we focus on two events: Munich Security Conference 2023, which opened today, and - one year later - remains riveted on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We also talk about the Conference on Foreign Policy and Security, taking place at King’s College, London, which Marguerite is attending.