Noam Ebner (Creighton) and I are delighted to announce (1) our new co-edited book, Star Wars and Conflict Resolution; and (2) the CfP for the sequel (tentative title: Episode II)!

From the Introduction:

“Never upset a Wookiee.” “Be mindful of your thoughts.” “Surrender is sometimes a perfectly reasonable option. “Failure to listen may lead to war.”

These are only some of the lessons about conflict and conflict resolution from the Star Warssaga. Conflict is everywhere in Star Wars, from big-picture hostilities (the droid army v. the clones, the Empire v. the Rebels, the First Order v. the Resistance) to smaller skirmishes between characters who may or may not be fighting on the same side. And it’s not just lightsaber duels or blaster shootouts or fighter battles in space. At the heart of every movie are conflicts between friends and colleagues, parents and children, and teachers and students. Understanding the dynamics of conflict and the mechanisms for conflict resolution, within the context of the Star Wars universe, is the purpose of this book.

The best part of this book was working with so many incredible contributors. Here is the list of chapters and authors:

1. Exploring Different Conceptions of Power in Star Wars (Rachel Viscomi)
2. Lightsabers and Fighting Styles (Thomas Freeman)
3. Han Shot First: The Ethics of First Strike (Deborah A. Cai & Emily A. Cai)
4. Who’s Your Daddy? Identity, Conflict, and the Transformation of Darth Vader (Danielle Blumenberg)
5. Tricking the Jedi Mind: Unconscious Bias in Conflict (Joshua N. Weiss)
6. Are Emotions the Path to the Dark Side? (Gert-Jan Lelieveld & Welmer E. Molenmaker)
7. Between Interests and Values, Often Choose One Must (Adrian Borbely, Bruno Andre Giraudon & Tarial Sikharulidze)
8. Rey and Kylo Ren: Constructive Conflict Escalation (R. Tyler Spradley & Elizabeth Spradley)
9. Midi-chlorians or Neurochemistry? Jedi and Sith Approaches to Conflict (Sherrill Hayes)
10. Is It Your Destiny? Conflict Modes and Strategic Choice (Noam Ebner)
11. “Hello there!” The Art of Negotiation in Star Wars (Chad Austin)
12. On Not Using (the) Force: Resolving Conflict with Mediation (Jen Reynolds)
13. The Rise of Arbitration (Imre Szalai)
14. Curse My Metal Body! How Empathy Shaped a Protocol Droid’s Journey (Aaron M. Peterson & Jason A. Kaufman)
15. “These Aren’t the Droids You’re Looking For”: Mind Tricks and Manipulation (C. Scott Maravilla)
16. The Force is Female: Negotiation Lessons from the Women of Star Wars (Deborah Thompson Eisenberg)
17. This Deal’s Getting Worse All the Time: Negotiator Satisfaction Matters (Hillary Anger Elfenbein & William Bottom)
18. At the Rendezvous Point: Meetings, Councils, and Conflict (Joseph Allen, Emilee Eden & Katherine Castro)

Want to get involved? Join us! Please check out our call for chapters and let us know if you want to talk more about ideas, for this book or for future popular-culture-and-ADR initiatives.