Dialogue with the Classic (to the 95th Anniversary of the American Sociologist of the Conflict, Professor Louis Kriesberg)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the upcoming 95th anniversary of the famous American sociologist, classic of the sociology of conflict, Professor Louis Kriesberg. During his long life Kriesberg met and collaborated with Robert Merton and Charles Tilly, was engaged in public opinion polls and consulted American presidents on the problems of resolving international conflicts, he also took part in international conferences of the highest level and prestigious sociological committees on conflict resolution. In a dialogue genre, Kriesberg talks about his life path, his teachers and colleagues, reflects on the role of the sociology of conflict in the context of a scientific discipline. He tells about his professional development and his life. Kriesberg analyzes the concepts that he has created over the years of his professional activity, expresses his attitude to the problems he faces. Our dialogical conversation touches upon the theoretical and methodological aspects of sociological research, the prospects for the applied use of the provisions of the conflict resolution theory created by Kriesberg. Despite his advanced age, Kriesberg shows a subtle sense of humor when he recalls his childhood, and diplomacy when he reveals his attitude to the urgent problems of post-Soviet society. The scholar keenly grasped the spirit of his era — the second half of the 20th — early 21st centuries, dealing with such problems that were most interesting and relevant to his contemporaries. These problems undoubtedly include social inequality and social conflict.