This groundbreaking volume explores the concept of self-censorship as it relates to individuals and societies and functions as a barrier to peace. Defining  self-censorship as the act of intentionally and voluntarily withholding information from others in the absence of formal obstacles, the volumes introduces self-censorship as one of the socio-psychological mechanisms that prevent the free flow of information and thus obstruct proper functioning of democratic societies.  Moreover it analyzes this socio-psychological phenomenon specifically in the context of intractable conflict, providing much evidence from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Forward- Daniel Bar-Tal.- Chapter 0 - Preface- Daniel Bar-Tal, Rafi Nets-Zehngut and Keren Sharvit.- Chapter 1 --  Self-censorship: The Conceptual Framework -Daniel Bar-Tal.- Chapter 2--  Self-censorship in the Family: The Double-edged Sword of Family Secrets - Alona Roded and Amiram Raviv.- Chapter 3-- Self-censorships in Organizations-Krystyna Adamska.- Chapter 4 -- Self-censorship as a Socio-psychological Barrier to Peacemaking - Boaz Hameiri, Daniel Bar-Tal and Eran Halperin.- Chapter 5 --  Self-Censorship of Narratives of Political Violence: Four International Case Studies (France-Algeria, Spain, Turkey-Armenians, Japan-Korea) ---Rafi Nets-Zehngut and Sagi Elbaz.- Chapter 6 --Self-censorship of Narratives of Political Violence in the Media-- Sagi Elbaz, Tamir Magal, Rafi Nets-Zehngut and Guy Abutbul.- Chapter 7--Self-censorship in Military Institutions -- Tamir Magal.- Chapter 8--- Between Solidarity and Openness: Self-censorship in Education-Soli Vered, Efrat Ambar, Shai Fuxman, Eman Nahhas Abu Hanna and Daniel Bar-Tal.- Chapter 9 -- Self-censorship of Narratives of Political Violence in the Academia -- Rafi Nets-Zehngut and Shai Fuxman.- Chapter 10 --The Difficulty of Determining Self-censorship in Fiction Texts - Yuval Benziman.- Chapter 11-- Self-censorship in Emerging Democracies: A Legal Perspective - Ofer Shinar Levanon.- Chapter 12 --Speaking Out and Breaking the Silence -- Ruthi Pliskin, Amit Goldenberg and Daniel Bar-Tal.- Chapter 13---Self-Censorship: Emerging Themes and Remaining Questions -- Keren Sharvit.