Wrong is Wrong, No Matter Who Says It: Critical Conflict Engagement

It may seem strange, that in the first issue of a magazine devoted to theory, there is discussion of practice. Especially when Critical Conflict Theory (CCT) is a new idea just breaking onto the scene. Furthermore, CCT is yet to be well defined; hence the purpose of Unrest and the essays contained within issue zero. However, even as CCT is new, ill defined and entangled within a whole host of other theories, there are examples of people whose theory in use is primarily critical, even if it is not the espoused theory. Furthermore, illumination into Critical Conflict Engagement (the practice of CCT) may be useful to those interested in further developing or even adopting CCT as a dominant, or at least useful, theoretical frame. After all, as Jawaharlal Nehru put it “A theory must be tempered with reality.”

When speaking of an actor, or individual, that addresses conflict through a critical lens, that person is a Critical Conflict Agent. Critical Conflict Agents are individuals that address structural issues, and may not always be thought of as persons of peace, but are in fact moving the world towards a less violent place.

Malik Shabazz is the Critical Conflict Agent in mind. Born the son of a Baptist preacher in the middle of the United States, later moving to Chicago and living a life filled with conflicts both created and imposed, Malik Shabazz demonstrated the quality of action one would expect from Critical Conflict Engagement: He was aware of and opposed to structures and systems of oppression; He was a perpetually authentic and transcendent figure; He was not dogmatic in his approach to increased freedom for all.

A necessary component of Critical Conflict Engagement is awareness and understanding of structure, the way in which structure is an oppressive force in society, as well as the manner in which an individual’s agency has an effect on these structures. An early memory of Malilk’s life was a hate crime that burned down his family’s home and forced them out of the state. Later, as a child that excelled in school, he was slapped in the face with the structures of society that expected him to not actualize his potential and to settle for less than what was possible. Disenchanted, he sought liberation in through alternate structures; structures which would be questionable to the dominant narrative. However, each of these structures turned out to be just another system generating oppression. Eventually, Malik found himself in prison. While in prison, he began to realize the power of individual agency against oppression; this liberating agency continued to be honed and developed throughout the rest of his life as he began Critical Conflict Engagement.

An important aspect of a Critical Conflict Engagement is authenticity, or a sincere and utmost dedication to the liberation of oppressed people and the belief and demonstration that everyone has the ability to transcend the structures of oppression. Brother Shabazz, though his faults may be many and his genesis rocky was such a figure. He began this transcendence with his self. He first taught himself to rise above the limits of formal education, to escape the oppressive world of the penitentiary and finally, after many trials and transformations, he began working to guide others to do the same and aid them by direct assault what structures he could.

Perhaps one of the more striking aspects of a Critical Conflict Agent are non-dogmatic approaches to dealing with issues of structure. Critical Conflict Engagement may in some sense be understood as a ‘guerrilla warfare’ of conflict resolution. By this, I mean, that there is a belief in a just and free future available for all, but to reach it may require for society to pass through fire; furthermore, that in the strategy of liberation, multiple tactics must be used: ‘by any means necessary.’

There are other Critical Conflict Agents. They are often the radicals, dissidents and other unsavory characters often overlooked in dominant conflict resolution discourse. However overlooked, they are necessary and deserve greater attention. Unless, of course, conflict resolution does not truly care about ultimate liberation, rather to concern itself with peace, and peace often serves the status quo, and the status quo is one of oppression.

“I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it’s for or against.” -Malcolm X (Malik Shabazz)