Peace and The Politics of Memory
In societies emerging from violent intrastate conflict, victims and perpetrators often live side by side, harbouring conflicting memories and experiences of atrocities. One of the most pressing questions concerns how the violent past can be remembered without threatening the fragile peace of the present and future. Can the divisive past be acknowledged in a way that transforms rather than perpetuates the antagonistic relationship between the parties to the conflict? The project investigates if, how and why commemoration affects the building of a durable peace. We do this through in-depth and comparative analyses of memory politics in the post-conflict societies Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, Rwanda and South Africa. Various research methods are employed, such as interviews, narrative analysis and participatory observation. We identify and analyse key sites of memory politics. We interview agents such as victims associations, museum curators, media, (dark) tourism entrepreneurs, local and global political actors and authorities, and ordinary partakers in commemorative events. Narratives from texts such as museum catalogues, media articles, website presentations are also analysed, and we observe commemoration events, e.g parades. The research accesses conflictual memory politics after war, and deepens our understanding of what role commemoration plays in the making or breaking of peace.
Final report
The purpose and development:
The project set out to explore memory politics and its impact on the quality of peace in societies transitioning from a violent past. How does memory politics affect the building of a just peace? Can the divisive past be acknowledged in a way that transforms rather than perpetuates the antagonistic relationship between the parties to the conflict?
The project aimed to make in-depth and comparative investigations of memory politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Rwanda, and South Africa, and was further developed to also include the case of Cambodia in order to broaden the comparative analysis.
Implementation:
The project was implemented according to plan and three key aims have been addressed.
Theoretically, we elaborated the notion of mnemonic formations as thematic clusters of particular salience for memory politics. We developed the original SANE analytical framework that enables a systematic, thick comparison across cases, through studying the interaction of sites, agents, narratives, and events at selected mnemonic formations.
Empirically, in all the case studies we applied the SANE framework and were able to draw out observations regarding the quality of peace. We employed the methods outlined in the proposal, such as interviews, participatory observation, narrative analysis and spatial analysis. We identified key sites, studied agents such as victim associations, museum curators, media, (dark) tourism entrepreneurs, local and global political actors and authorities, and ordinary participants in commemorative events. Narratives from texts such as museum catalogues, media articles, and website presentations were analysed, as well as commemoration events.
Through developing a comparative analysis we were able to assess the impact of commemoration on the quality of peace, measured in terms of inclusivity, pluralism, and human dignity. Originally, we planned to develop a typology of memory regimes, but this proved to be a less fitting categorization due to the temporal and spatial fluidity of memory politics (one of the findings). Instead, we employed the concept of entanglement and various degrees of entangled memory as analytical inroads to be able to differentiate between variations of how memory politics impacts on peace.
In terms of implementation regarding output, the project members have published continuously on various conceptual aspects of peace in relation to memory politics, and also contributed with new empirical findings with regards to the separate case studies, which has helped to develop and broaden the project (see publication list). These outputs have been crucial for the theorizing of memory politics in conflict-affected societies more generally as well as for the deeper empirical understanding of our cases. The main focus of the project has however been the co-authored monograph that fully develops and employs the SANE framework in a unique analysis based on thick comparison. In the following (due to space constraints), we focus on the results presented in the monograph.
The program's three most significant results and a discussion of the conclusions:
In the co-authored monograph Peace and the Politics of Memory we advance the idea that the quality of peace is affected by the extent to which memories are entangled. The findings make an original contribution at the nexus of memory studies and peace and conflict research.
1. Methodologically, the project has developed a novel analytical framework with a comparative approach that enables a ‘thick’ process of comparison through empirically grounded studies of especially salient topics. The SANE framework allows for studies of mnemonic formations in order to search for various degrees of entanglement. Through this comparative investigation we can assess how and why memory politics contributes to the construction of a just peace or the perpetuation of conflict, or nuances in between.
2. We find that a type of memory politics that enables memories to be ‘entangled’ is conducive to a just peace. This entanglement needs to display particular dimensions that show that the parties to the conflict are moving away from antagonism and towards peaceful living-together: A just peace is inclusive (in terms of ethnicity, religion, age and gender, among other things), plural (in terms of encompassing diverse memories and commemorative practices) and contributes to embracing dignity (in terms of acknowledging the injustices committed). This stands in contrast to mnemonic formations characterised by memory strands that have few mutual connections, reflect high degrees of homogeneity within each strand, and leave suffering unacknowledged and memory strands separate. The research renders visible the fluidity of memory-making, and the political frictions between competing memories.
3. The analysis has enabled us to assess the quality of peace and identify what a just peace entails. Looking through the lens of memory politics thus enables a rethinking of peace. We conclude that peace can no longer be conceived of as an abstract, singular thing; something unobtainable. Instead, the findings of this project show that peace is an entangled process rather than an outcome. By identifying the key factors of plurality, dignity, and inclusivity in memory politics, it is possible to recognise the different ways in which a just peace may manifest itself in societies dealing with difficult memories of violence.
Opening up toward a broader discussion, we note that memory and peace are both value-laden concepts; they are contested, fluid and constantly under negotiation. It is not a small task to take on a more systematic reading of their interplay. Nevertheless, given their centrality for conflict-affected societies this has been our ambition. Building on and expanding insights and approaches from both memory studies and peace research, the research presented in the monograph book has attempted to bridge the gap between those two fields. Our comparison of mnemonic formations in five very different conflict-affected societies has highlighted how deeply entwined memory-making and peace-making are. The findings are remarkable in their salience across all five cases, and we think that the observations concerning the impact of the politics of memory on the quality of peace are generalisable, at least to a certain extent.
New research questions:
The research project has generated a number of new research questions that members of the group have begun to address.
One example concerns the remembering of peace. As we have spent the last few years studying the memories of conflict, we came to realise that there are few commemorative manifestations of peace. Why is this and how can we identify, map and conceptualise the memory of peace?
Another example of a new research question that emerges from our findings has to do with the challenges to think beyond linear temporalities. The trauma and suffering that violence causes does not linearly fade from society. In fact, our case studies all demonstrate the lingering, fluctuating and often unpredictable effects of legacies of violence. We see the need to further address questions regarding the times and timing of memory politics. How can we identify moments of rupture - cracks in commemorative politics - that can open up for transformations towards a just peace?
A third new research question concerns how digital spaces and practices of commemoration are new additions to transitional justice activities and we are interested in how this may affect the quality of peace. How do digital memoryscapes shape memory activism and memory agency? How are key affective dimensions such as intimacy and authenticity visually constituted in digital commemorative spaces?
Dissemination and collaboration:
The research group has disseminated the research at more than 20 panels and roundtables at international academic conferences. The most significant conferences have been those organized by International Studies Association (ISA), European International Studies Association (EISA) and Memory Studies Association (MSA), and Annual Conference of the Historical Dialogues, Justice and Memory Network at Columbia University.
We have held invited research talks and keynotes, and given expert advice, at more than 20 occasions in different parts of the world, in North Macedonia, South Africa, Sweden, the U.K., Germany, Belgium, and Cambodia.
When it comes to public outreach, we have published articles in popular press, we have spoken about our research in a number of settings from national television to a pub quiz, and produced two podcasts. We have also organized an event in Durham Cathedral with a Bosnian choir and in cooperation with TedEd developed a short video on genocide and dealing with the past in Cambodia.
We have taught and organized courses and summer schools directly related to the research project topic of peace and the politics of memory at under-graduate, master, and doctorate level at Durham University, Lund University, Philipps University Marburg, Bundeswehr University Munich, and Södertörn University.
We have produced our own Working Paper Series, published at our website where we have also published many posts on our blog with both internal and external authors www.peaceandmemory.net
We have organized a two-day international academic conference in Stockholm in December 2023 on the theme of Peace and the Politics of Memory. Several panels with international researchers, artists and practitioners, and about 100 people in the public audience. https://www.ui.se/evenemang/tidigare/2022/december/peace-and-the-politics-of-memory/
The project set out to explore memory politics and its impact on the quality of peace in societies transitioning from a violent past. How does memory politics affect the building of a just peace? Can the divisive past be acknowledged in a way that transforms rather than perpetuates the antagonistic relationship between the parties to the conflict?
The project aimed to make in-depth and comparative investigations of memory politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Rwanda, and South Africa, and was further developed to also include the case of Cambodia in order to broaden the comparative analysis.
Implementation:
The project was implemented according to plan and three key aims have been addressed.
Theoretically, we elaborated the notion of mnemonic formations as thematic clusters of particular salience for memory politics. We developed the original SANE analytical framework that enables a systematic, thick comparison across cases, through studying the interaction of sites, agents, narratives, and events at selected mnemonic formations.
Empirically, in all the case studies we applied the SANE framework and were able to draw out observations regarding the quality of peace. We employed the methods outlined in the proposal, such as interviews, participatory observation, narrative analysis and spatial analysis. We identified key sites, studied agents such as victim associations, museum curators, media, (dark) tourism entrepreneurs, local and global political actors and authorities, and ordinary participants in commemorative events. Narratives from texts such as museum catalogues, media articles, and website presentations were analysed, as well as commemoration events.
Through developing a comparative analysis we were able to assess the impact of commemoration on the quality of peace, measured in terms of inclusivity, pluralism, and human dignity. Originally, we planned to develop a typology of memory regimes, but this proved to be a less fitting categorization due to the temporal and spatial fluidity of memory politics (one of the findings). Instead, we employed the concept of entanglement and various degrees of entangled memory as analytical inroads to be able to differentiate between variations of how memory politics impacts on peace.
In terms of implementation regarding output, the project members have published continuously on various conceptual aspects of peace in relation to memory politics, and also contributed with new empirical findings with regards to the separate case studies, which has helped to develop and broaden the project (see publication list). These outputs have been crucial for the theorizing of memory politics in conflict-affected societies more generally as well as for the deeper empirical understanding of our cases. The main focus of the project has however been the co-authored monograph that fully develops and employs the SANE framework in a unique analysis based on thick comparison. In the following (due to space constraints), we focus on the results presented in the monograph.
The program's three most significant results and a discussion of the conclusions:
In the co-authored monograph Peace and the Politics of Memory we advance the idea that the quality of peace is affected by the extent to which memories are entangled. The findings make an original contribution at the nexus of memory studies and peace and conflict research.
1. Methodologically, the project has developed a novel analytical framework with a comparative approach that enables a ‘thick’ process of comparison through empirically grounded studies of especially salient topics. The SANE framework allows for studies of mnemonic formations in order to search for various degrees of entanglement. Through this comparative investigation we can assess how and why memory politics contributes to the construction of a just peace or the perpetuation of conflict, or nuances in between.
2. We find that a type of memory politics that enables memories to be ‘entangled’ is conducive to a just peace. This entanglement needs to display particular dimensions that show that the parties to the conflict are moving away from antagonism and towards peaceful living-together: A just peace is inclusive (in terms of ethnicity, religion, age and gender, among other things), plural (in terms of encompassing diverse memories and commemorative practices) and contributes to embracing dignity (in terms of acknowledging the injustices committed). This stands in contrast to mnemonic formations characterised by memory strands that have few mutual connections, reflect high degrees of homogeneity within each strand, and leave suffering unacknowledged and memory strands separate. The research renders visible the fluidity of memory-making, and the political frictions between competing memories.
3. The analysis has enabled us to assess the quality of peace and identify what a just peace entails. Looking through the lens of memory politics thus enables a rethinking of peace. We conclude that peace can no longer be conceived of as an abstract, singular thing; something unobtainable. Instead, the findings of this project show that peace is an entangled process rather than an outcome. By identifying the key factors of plurality, dignity, and inclusivity in memory politics, it is possible to recognise the different ways in which a just peace may manifest itself in societies dealing with difficult memories of violence.
Opening up toward a broader discussion, we note that memory and peace are both value-laden concepts; they are contested, fluid and constantly under negotiation. It is not a small task to take on a more systematic reading of their interplay. Nevertheless, given their centrality for conflict-affected societies this has been our ambition. Building on and expanding insights and approaches from both memory studies and peace research, the research presented in the monograph book has attempted to bridge the gap between those two fields. Our comparison of mnemonic formations in five very different conflict-affected societies has highlighted how deeply entwined memory-making and peace-making are. The findings are remarkable in their salience across all five cases, and we think that the observations concerning the impact of the politics of memory on the quality of peace are generalisable, at least to a certain extent.
New research questions:
The research project has generated a number of new research questions that members of the group have begun to address.
One example concerns the remembering of peace. As we have spent the last few years studying the memories of conflict, we came to realise that there are few commemorative manifestations of peace. Why is this and how can we identify, map and conceptualise the memory of peace?
Another example of a new research question that emerges from our findings has to do with the challenges to think beyond linear temporalities. The trauma and suffering that violence causes does not linearly fade from society. In fact, our case studies all demonstrate the lingering, fluctuating and often unpredictable effects of legacies of violence. We see the need to further address questions regarding the times and timing of memory politics. How can we identify moments of rupture - cracks in commemorative politics - that can open up for transformations towards a just peace?
A third new research question concerns how digital spaces and practices of commemoration are new additions to transitional justice activities and we are interested in how this may affect the quality of peace. How do digital memoryscapes shape memory activism and memory agency? How are key affective dimensions such as intimacy and authenticity visually constituted in digital commemorative spaces?
Dissemination and collaboration:
The research group has disseminated the research at more than 20 panels and roundtables at international academic conferences. The most significant conferences have been those organized by International Studies Association (ISA), European International Studies Association (EISA) and Memory Studies Association (MSA), and Annual Conference of the Historical Dialogues, Justice and Memory Network at Columbia University.
We have held invited research talks and keynotes, and given expert advice, at more than 20 occasions in different parts of the world, in North Macedonia, South Africa, Sweden, the U.K., Germany, Belgium, and Cambodia.
When it comes to public outreach, we have published articles in popular press, we have spoken about our research in a number of settings from national television to a pub quiz, and produced two podcasts. We have also organized an event in Durham Cathedral with a Bosnian choir and in cooperation with TedEd developed a short video on genocide and dealing with the past in Cambodia.
We have taught and organized courses and summer schools directly related to the research project topic of peace and the politics of memory at under-graduate, master, and doctorate level at Durham University, Lund University, Philipps University Marburg, Bundeswehr University Munich, and Södertörn University.
We have produced our own Working Paper Series, published at our website where we have also published many posts on our blog with both internal and external authors www.peaceandmemory.net
We have organized a two-day international academic conference in Stockholm in December 2023 on the theme of Peace and the Politics of Memory. Several panels with international researchers, artists and practitioners, and about 100 people in the public audience. https://www.ui.se/evenemang/tidigare/2022/december/peace-and-the-politics-of-memory/