Title: SYNOPTICS, part X: application of the synoptics model for the social analysis of states: Colombia (1991) and Nigeria (1992)

Authors: Herbert Rauch

Addresses: Institute for Social Analysis, Schottenfeldgasse 25-27/533, 1070 Vienna, Austria

Abstract: Synoptics - a method to diagnose and consult in socio-political conflict situations - is here used to describe and analyse the two conflict situations on the level of states in Colombia 1991 and Nigeria 1992. Several conflict scenarios are described to understand better the political micro, meso and macro scenes. The following case studies are developed along some of the main questions for synoptics social analysis with regard to diagnosing socio-political events: 1) description of focus event; 2) general description of the embedding sovereign social system; 3) description of the agents of the focus event; 4) location of focus event with regard to the level of social systems; 5) 'C'-analysis of the process of the focus event ('C' = common Challenge, and describing the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Omega spaces within the social system; 6) gestalt/general pattern of the conflict, and considerations with respect to the future.

Keywords: synoptics method; social analysis; hypotheses; social systems; conflict situations; challenge principle; Colombia; Nigeria.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGENVI.2023.134008

International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, 2023 Vol.22 No.2/3, pp.145 - 170

Received: 07 Feb 2021
Accepted: 19 Feb 2021
Published online: 10 Oct 2023 *

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