LYNCH CHAIR INAUGURAL PRESENTATION
George Mason University
January 25, 2002

"Puzzles in Search of Researchers"
(abstract)

By

Daniel Druckman

For copies of the full text of this presentation contact
Daniel Druckman at ddruckma@gmu.edu

PRECIS AND OUTLINE

Many of us are attracted to careers in research because we have questions that arouse our curiosity. For example, Why do wars occur?, Why do many negotiated settlements not resolve conflicts?, How do citizens develop and sustain national or ethnic identities?, Why are most organizations hierarchical? But, the evidence gathered from research studies often suggest puzzles about the conditions under which war occurs or resolutions develop. Digging deeper into the contingencies (of the form "it all depends"), we discover contradictions, inconsistencies, and new questions for research. From this quest, we begin to get a glimpse at a larger picture that may provide a good route to theory development. I argue that the scholarly enterprise is enriched by puzzles and the search for solutions to them.

In preparing for this talk, I was inspired by a presidential address given by Dina Zinnes to the International Studies Association and published in a 1980 issue of the International Studies Quarterly. Her title was: "Three Puzzles in Search of a Researcher." (I must admit, however, that I have experienced the opposite behavior among some colleagues which would lead to a talk titled: "Three Researchers in Search of a Puzzle.") Her three puzzles were:

  • Do nations interact? (The answer in 1980 was sometimes but less often than many would have suspected.)

  • Why do some nations go to war? (The answer is that sometimes because of this attribute and other times because of that condition.)
  • Does a bi (or multi) polar international system prevent war? (The answer is that in some periods peace was sustained in bi-polar systems, in other periods wars occurred and the same for multi-polar systems; of course now we might ask about the war-preventing prospects of uni-polar systems.)

My puzzles bear some resemblance to Dina's but are stimulated more from research in conflict resolution than international relations. They are challenges to the research community stemming largely from my own research, and can launch a platform for ICAR research, which I consider to be part of my activities as the Institute's Lynch chair for the next few years. They address matters of process, identity, and situations in conflict resolution. Let us begin with the puzzles about process. Following are the sections of the paper.

PROCESS PUZZLES

"On the Other Hand"

Interaction Process Dynamics
  • Momentary Changes

  • Pivotal Change

IDENTITY PUZZLES

Negotiating Identity

Ingroups and Outgroups

From Group Loyalty to Collective Action

SITUATION PUZZLES

"Shifting Sands"

Attribution Processes

Passive Actors and Active Agents

The Role of History

TYING THE PUZZLES TOGETHER

Conclusion