20/05/2024 14:15 - 16:30

HALL: FATESI - TOMASI

Proponent: O' Brien C.A., Tacchini D.

Chair: Tacchini D.

Speaker: Manco-Villa N., O' Brien C.A., Tacchini D.

Reconciliation Studies is a relatively young research paradigm that emerged in the context of "transitional" societies such as South Africa or Rwanda and can be seen as an alternative, or perhaps complementary, approach to understanding peace and conflict (Leiner-Schilesser 2018). Whereas conventional peace approaches focus primarily on structural and institutional factors of ending conflicts and building peace, Reconciliation Studies focuses on interpersonal relationships, particularly on emotional and cognitive factors of conflict prevention, transformation, and resolution. One emphasis of Reconciliation Studies is how reconciliation can occur during conflict, not just in post-conflict scenarios, referred to as the Hölderlin Perspective (Leiner 2022). Religion, of course, plays a prominent role in reconciliation processes, especially in some areas of the world, and Karl Barth and Jürgen Moltmann's views of the topic can be considered close to the present idea (Barth 1961-1967, "Church Dogmatics" Vol. 4 and Moltmann 1967).
In this panel, we explore the possibilities of this new, more holistic paradigm, including its origins in theology, and argue that it is an effective paradigm shift within Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies, providing examples of its actual applications through the lenses of different disciplines (Transitional Justice, Anthropology, Refugee Studies, Gender Studies, Religious Studies and Peace Studies) and in varied contexts and geographic areas.