CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS:

Star Wars and Conflict Resolution

Editors: Noam Ebner (Creighton University) and Jen Reynolds (University of Oregon)

We seek proposals for chapters in a book combining the knowledge and science of the conflict resolution field with the rich narrative universe of the Star Wars movie saga.

Format: The book, tentatively titled Star Wars and Conflict Resolution,will be an edited collection of essays (4-5000 words each) by conflict resolution experts in academia and practice. We plan to build on the model that has successfully generated similar books in other areas, such as The Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy(Wiley-Blackwell, 2015) and Star Wars Psychology(Sterling, 2015).

Goal: We aim to share the insights and knowledge of the conflict resolution field with the general public, ranging far beyond those who find their own way to our classrooms. Pop culture opens a gateway to this audience, and Star Wars provides a particularly forceful (!) vehicle for this purpose, given that Star Wars is one of the most widespread cultural phenomena of our time, and conflict and its resolution are central to all of the saga’s narrative themes. The book will bring the conflict resolution community’s intellectual weight and signature trait of playful creativity to bear on Star Wars. Beyond reaching a wide audience, we believe that a substantively rich book, written in a light, humorous tone and animated by passion for conflict resolution and for Star Wars,will invigorate the conflict resolution field and diversify its educational materials.

Topics: You may choose any conflict resolution topic, method of inquiry, and scope of exploration you like. Conflict resolution themes that recur in the Star Warsnarrative include conflict contexts, relationships, negotiation, conflict interventions, ethics, process, decision-making, and system design, to name but a few. For example, you might propose to:

• Analyze one scene through a single conflict prism (e.g., ‘The role of attribution in Obi Wan’s final encounter with Anakin’).
• Explore one concept through multiple situations from across the saga (e.g., Use the (BATNA) force: How to win at space chess or alter an Ewok village’s dinner menu’).
• Conduct a case study (e.g., ‘Wesa being friends: The Gungan-Naboo Treaty’).
• Illustrate a comprehensive model via a series of scenes (e.g., ‘R2D2 and C3P0 Get to Yes’).
• Unpack a single line from the films within the broader context of social and political identities today (e.g., Yoda: “Wars not make one great”).

As the book’s aim is to harness widely familiar material to conflict resolution topics, chapters should primarily relate to topics, characters, and scenes from the eleven Star Wars movies. Lesser-known material (books, cartoons, videogames etc., canon or non-canon) can be referenced, but should not be central to the chapter. We will provide further details on content and style to authors after acceptance.

Submission guidelines: Please send a description of your proposed chapter in about 300 words, along with your CV, to Noam Ebner (noamebner@creighton.edu) and Jen Reynolds (jwr@uoregon.edu), by December31, 2019. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions.