“The past is much more elaborate than peace agreements“
Aaron Weah, a transitional justice researcher based at University of Ulster, reflects on the transitional justice experience in Liberia and globally. He criticizes the process in Liberia mainly for the failure to address historical inequalities. Aaron Weah is a transitional justice researcher based at University of Ulster. He is investigating the impact of violent conflict […]
Change of minds, change of behaviour
Anita Mitic, who was born as Yugoslavia broke out in civil war, describes in an interview what can be learned from former Yugoslavia in terms of transitional justice. What the transitional justice processes would have shown is the necessity to address behavioral norms and the powerful role of political elites. Anita Mitic, who was born […]
What future for transitional justice?
This blog series examines the field of transitional justice through a critical lens, asking challenging questions and exploring ways in which it is relevant today. Through a small number of carefully-selected interviews, the series intends to provoke debate within the field and help lead to innovation and adaptation. This blog series examines the field of […]
Von Kopf bis Fuß
Fußball ist auf der ganzen Welt ein beliebter Sport, doch das schöne Spiel hat auch eine hässliche Seite: antisemitische, rassistische, sexistische und homophobe Gesänge und Beschimpfungen in und außerhalb der Stadien. Der Verein Tüpfelhausen – das Familienportal e.V. in Leipzig hat eine ganz eigene Antwort auf das Erstarken von Rechtsextremismus und Antisemitismus entwickelt. Fußball ist […]
9th European History Forum
In May 2020 the 9th European History Forum took place as a fishbowl talk on the internet. The conference was dedicated to the topic „Hidden Memory? Women in the Second World War in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. Role models, experiences of violence, taboos“. Impressions of 18.05.2020: Fishbowl – Women in World War II The […]
When wounds are passed on
This article explores the importance of collective trauma for conflict transformation by sharing practical examples from peace work in the post-civil war context in Lebanon. Violent conflicts can traumatise entire communities, leading to shared feelings of mistrust and fear, coupled with rigid narratives of victimhood and the silencing of guilt. These patterns can be passed […]
What can help us in helping others
Many development and peacebuilding organisations see the need to take the self-care and mental health of their staff seriously. However, many struggle to institutionalise effective mechanisms of self-care. The feminist development and women’s rights organization medica mondiale shares some best practices and lessons learned from its work around the world. Working tirelessly towards peace and […]
How do you tell your child that she was born after rape?
Dealing with the past for mothers of children born after rape is essentially about telling the truth. How can this be done in ways that do not reinforce the socially imposed silence but instead contribute to healing? The text reflects an experience from Rwanda. Dealing with the past for mothers of children born after rape […]
Too much too soon
GIZ trauma experts working in countries neighbouring Syria reflect on how to respond to collective trauma among Syrian refugees. Taking into account the specific cultural context, GIZ staff question the well-known but rather individualistic concept of self-care and stress the need for collective care. Syria – a fragmented society The horrors of a war which […]
Is it all down to trauma?
Taking up some of the resistance against the term of collective trauma, Cordula Reimann & Ursula König discuss why collective and transgenerational trauma are relevant and should be a key concept for development and peacebuilding/conflict transformation practitioners and practices. Since we published the article “Closing a gap in conflict transformation: Understanding collective and transgenerational trauma”, […]