Everyday Reconciliation

Author(s): Sandra Obradović & Caroline Howarth

Published in: The Social Psychology of Everyday Politics

Abstract: The focus of this chapter is to consider different approaches to reconciliation and offer insights into intra-group reconciliation within the context of inter-group conflict, an area somewhat under-theorised in the reconciliation literature to date. We argue that we must examine the role of ‘everyday reconciliation’ in promoting inter-group peace-building not just among local communities but also among politicians and policy makers. By ’everyday reconciliation’ we focus on the ways in which our daily encounters with social and political representations of the past can be re-interpreted to create more nuanced images of conflicts and foster more critical and aware future generations. While theories of inter-group conflict resolution tend to draw clear boundaries between victims and perpetrators, reality is usually messier. Thus, we argue that it is important in theorising about conflict, to take into account not only what occurs, but also how it is understood and talked about within local contexts. Or, to be more precise, how it is socially represented. We do so by exploring the ways in which education, inter-generational dialogue and identity politics promote or inhibit the ways in which individuals can critically reflect on their nation’s past.

Citation: Obradović, S. & Howarth, C. (2016). Everyday Reconciliation. In Howarth, C. & Andreouli, E. (Eds.) The Social Psychology of Everyday Politics, pp. 131-145.

Link: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Caroline_Howarth/publication/298426622_Everyday_Reconciliation/links/56e96c3908ae47bc651c7268/Everyday-Reconciliation.pdf