This book provides practical tools, models, and frameworks for thinking about how a story is structured, all in order to help us think about conflict. Using examples from literature and films for developing narrative competence in everyday life, the book illustrates a new model of four basic plot types that can push a reader/viewer either toward political struggle (a justice or vindication story) or toward a journey of self-realization (a peace or reconciliation story). The examples used in the book span a wide array of conflict situations, from climate change to native American genocide, from reproductive rights and gender-based violence to Algerian independence and Arab identity, from Jim Crow segregation and civil rights to the Vietnam War and colonial collapse, from Latino educational opportunities to the liberation of Bengal and the emergence of the idea of the Global South. This simple-to-use model of story grammar is integral for the practice of both politics and peacemaking and opens a new window on literary analysis and the craft of storytelling. Along the way, it provides us with a new way to understand human purpose and offers precise definitions of the concepts of peace and justice.
This book will be of great interest to students and practitioners of international relations, security studies, political theory, and peace and conflict/justice studies.
Introduction: Story Grammar
2. Post-plot Pressure: Adversarial Struggles and Collaborative Journeys
3. The Satirical Struggle: Stories of Intolerable Defeat
4. The Romantic Struggle: Stories of Injustice Overcome
5. The Tragic Journey: Stories of Painful Self-Realization
6. The Comic Journey: Stories of Self-Discovery
7. Purpose as Plot Structure: A Definition of the Concepts Peace and Justice Within Narrative Precision
Biography
Solon Simmons is the director of The Narrative Transformation Lab (TNT Lab) at George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. A sociologist by training, he is the author of many books and articles on narrative and storytelling in peace and politics, including Conflict Resolution after the Pandemic: Building Peace, Pursuing Justice (2021) and Root Narrative Theory and Conflict Resolution: Power, Justice and Values (2020).
Cheryl Duckworth, Professor of Peace Education and Conflict Resolution, Nova Southeastern University, USA
“Simmons’ magisterial and insightful book asks us to confront what literary studies and narrative practice can learn from one another – and how both can benefit from the real-world study and navigation of conflict. Readers will find themselves applying and trying to resist its ideas everywhere in their own fields and interests.”
Mark Schroeder, Professor of Philosophy, University of Southern California, USA
“In a time of global insecurity and complex confrontations, Solon Simmons crafts an important narrative about the importance of narratives. By invoking the power of the story, Simmons urges readers to recognize, understand and act with the belief that conflict and peace are inherently tied to storytelling processes. His writing is poignant and clear, his conversation with the reader urges them to engage in the act of telling stories to elicit peaceful outcomes. With vignettes, examples and, yes, stories, Simmons’ book should be read by anyone who engages in spaces that navigate complex conflicts in hope of peaceful outcomes. Educators, policymakers, intellectuals and practitioners will be better for having learned through the lessons in this book.”
Supriya Bailey, Professor, Education Leadership and Policy and Past President, Comparative and International Education Society, George Mason University, USA
"A fascinating account of how 'story grammar' can help make our world safer. Simmons combines literary theory and conflict theory to make a one-of-a-kind contribution to the field of peacemaking."
Mark Freeman, founder and director of the Institute for Integrated Transitions, Spain
