На сегодняшний день в США продано 80000 экземпляров. Книга до сих пор издается в том же виде, в котором была издана в 1956 году, и считается бестселлером среди книг по социологии, публикуемых в Америке.
The author, Lewis Coser, attempts to offer an appraisal and an update on the theories of social conflict articulated by Georg Simmel, the nineteenth century German sociologist and philosopher. This book was first published in 1956, so it's helpful to keep in mind the tenor of the times in which it was written. It does pay relatively little attention to actual social conflicts between groups, but from a theoretical perspective, it sheds light on the dynamics that engender social conflict.
A tese central do livro sobre as funções sociais do conflito é muito interessante e se presta para importantes discussões em diversas disciplinas. Ainda que não propriamente teorizada, vale a pena ser difundida e ampliada.
This is a great book, it has helped me immensely in facilitating discussions with different natural resource users in the National Park. Specially when we had to discuss some pretty difficult things with subsistence farmers and fishermen. It is well written, very old, but still relevant.