“What is reconciliation and are we there yet?” Different types and levels of reconciliation: A case study of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Based on two studies with Bosniak and Croatian students in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this paper analyzes the effects of religiosity on intergroup forgiveness and reconciliation. Both Christianity and Islam advance forgiveness and reconciliation as one of the major moral imperatives. Previous studies also indicate that religiosity can increase readiness to grant forgiveness on the inter-personal level and facilitate rapprochement. When it comes to intergroup level, prescripts of religious piety often conflict with norms of group solidarity and care.Another set of research suggests that religion obstructs conflict transformation due to the dogmatic reasoning it promotes, including reframing of immanent disputes in transcendental (and thus non-negotiable) terms. This study initially tested whether adding religious symbols to conflict narratives impacts prosocial attitudes of respondents and came with negative results. In other words, adding religious codes to already known narratives about conflicts did not have a significant impact on participants' attitudes. In a subsequent SEM analysis, it was found that religiosity in both groups is strongly correlated with group-centricity, which negatively mediates its relationship with both forgiveness and reconciliation. We conclude that collectivistic forms of religiosity that privilege ingroup solidarity might have negative effects on intergroup forgiveness and reconciliation in post-conflict settings.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Religion and politics as a dangerous mix: Effects of religiosity on intergroup forgiveness and reconciliation in a post-conflict setting.

Odak¹,

Čehajić‐Clancy²

2021

“…There is a growing body of literature which is critical of reconciliation both in theory and in practice. Various authors point to a plethora of competing and at times opposing definitions of reconciliation (Evans, 2018; Rosoux, 2013; Strupinskienė, 2017; Subotić, 2015) which led some to conclude that reconciliation is an empty vessel, a “vague yet powerful” societal ideal that lacks content in itself (Borer, 2004, p. 23; Evans, 2018; Renner, 2014, p. 267). An important advice for anyone interested in investigating reconciliation, therefore, is to provide a clear definition of the phenomenon, otherwise comparing different research results or successfully measuring it is deemed impossible.…”

Section: Reconciliation: Too Much or Not Enough?mentioning

confidence: 99%

International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and grassroots mobilization for justice: Insights from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Strupinskienė

2022

Self Cite

Despite the fact that transitional justice measures have become established components of almost all modern peace-building efforts, the existing understandings of complex causal pathways that link transitional justice interventions to their supposed goal of reconciliation in deeply divided societies continue to remain largely underspecified and undertheorized. This article empirically investigates the impact of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on reconciliation in Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina. After a detailed process-tracing study of reconciliation in town, it proposes that ICTY has contributed to intergroup reconciliation via the mechanism of grassroots mobilization for justice.

“…Reconciliation involves a transformative change from hostility to peaceful coexistence (Bilali & Mahmoud, 2017). Reconciliation can take place on the individual, communal, and societal levels, and can vary in quality from 'thin' reconciliation characterized by grudging coexistence to "thick" reconciliation characterized by forgiveness, healing, and collaboration (Strupinskiene ˙, 2017). This paper is concerned with thick societal reconciliation, and seeks to contribute insights as to why certain individuals engage in activism to achieve this goal, while others avoid engaging in such efforts.…”

Section: Reconciliation and Conflict Narrativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conflict narratives, action frames, and engagement in reconciliation efforts among community activists in Northern Ireland.

Rafferty

2020

Reconciliation involves a sustained change in how groups perceive and interact with one another, at all levels of society. However, in many conflict-affected societies, only a small minority of individuals work actively toward this goal and it is not clearly understood how motivations to engage in reconciliation efforts can become more widespread. This study investigates the conflict narratives and action frames of activists in a conflict-affected society, and explores how these relate to different degrees of engagement in reconciliation efforts. In-depth interviews were conducted with 27 community activists in Northern Ireland in 2014; 14 were strongly engaged in reconciliation efforts and 13 had limited or no engagement in reconciliation efforts. Thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that reconciliation activists articulated conflict narratives and action frames that differed markedly from those articulated by community activists who have little or no engagement in reconciliation efforts. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the role of interpretative processes, such as narratives and framing, in alternatively supporting or reducing individuals' motivations to work toward social reconciliation in a conflict-affected society. Public Significance StatementThis paper presents findings from a study of community activists' conflict narratives and action frames in postconflict Northern Ireland. It explores how different interpretations of the conflict support or reduce individuals' willingness to engage in reconciliation efforts. Understanding how certain interpretations of a conflict support active engagement in reconciliation efforts can enhance the effectiveness of peacebuilding initiatives that aim to encourage widespread behavioral change in conflict-affected societies.