Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Title Highlight: Dictionaries of Conflict Resolution

An encyclopedic dictionary of conflict and conflict resolution, 1945-1996


Dictionary of Conflict Resolution, (Credo Reference)

Think these two dictionaries are about the same topic? Guess again; these two dictionaries with similar titles actually have very little in common. The first is a dictionary of conflicts/wars between and within nations during the years 1945-96; the second is a legal dictionary covering the concepts involved in resolving legal disputes between private parties. The terms and focus of the two books do not overlap.

The first book, found in the Hewes reference section is a valuable resource for finding quick information on the many international and national conflicts and personalities involved in them in the late 20th century. However, the United States, the then-Soviet Union and the Cold War between the two are not given separate entries in the book, although the many incidents that occurred between the two nations during the Cold War (such as the Bay of Pigs invasion, the detention of American pilot Francis Gary Powers) are given individual entries. The longer entries contain references for further information on a person or topic. Caution should be used in reading the referenced works as in the introduction the author states that some of the books referred to contain propaganda that champions specific causes, people or outcomes.

The second dictionary is found in the online Credo Reference Library. It contains short definitions of many terms used by lawyers to refer to conflict resolution between parties. Included are definitions of such terms as haggling, arbitration and Bet Din, a rabbinical tribunal used by Orthodox Jews in America and Israel to resolve questions of Jewish ritual law. There is no introductory material to this dictionary, just an alphabetic list of the terms defined.

Access to online databases are limited to the students, faculty, and staff of Monmouth College.

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