Context-level contact as a stronger predictor of inter-ethnic reconciliation than individual-level contact: Evidence from post-war countries

Abstract

Is post-war reconciliation determined by individuals’ personal contact experiences with former adversaries, or by the amount of intergroup contact within the region in which they live? Using multilevel analyses among representative samples of youth from ethnic majorities and minorities in five post-war countries, we demonstrate that context-level intergroup contact is a stronger determinant of reconciliation than individual-level contact. This study serves as a proof of concept that forgiveness, trust, social distance and approach behaviors in post-war societies are primarily a function of amount of contact in one’s social context rather than one’s personal inter-ethnic interactions. Evidence from this research critically informs our understanding of the influence of social context, particularly the macroscale potential of intergroup contact, on post-war reconciliation, from both majority and minority perspectives, and provides important guidelines for policies and interventions fostering reconciliation.

Examining beliefs about reconciliation and social integration in Kosovo: Testing effects of interethnic contact and differences in perspective among ethnic Albanians and Serbs

“…Aspects of this process involve shifting beliefs, narratives and emotions related to the conflict (Bar‐Tal & Cehajic‐Clancy, 2013; Halperin et al., 2011; Nadler et al., 2008). In divided societies with legacies of violent conflict, greater social integration of conflicting groups is often regarded as another crucial aspect of the reconciliation process that can help to transform and improve relations between former adversaries (see Al Ramiah & Hewstone, 2013; Čehajić‐Clancy et al., 2023; Nadler & Shnabel, 2008; Wagner & Hewstone, 2012).…”