Fostering reconciliation through historical moral exemplars in a postconflict society.

Abstract

Damaged intergroup relations in postconflict contexts marked by histories of war and human rights violations constitute a major obstacle to peace-building and reconciliation. In addition, intergroup relations tend to be affected by polarized narratives about the past that inhibit the positive consequences of ingroup contact. In this article, we examined the effects of a contact intervention containing narratives of moral exemplars on reconciliation processes in the postgenocide setting of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Results from our 2 studies showed significant positive changes after the contact interventions that highlighted and focused on documented stories of individuals (moral exemplars) saving the lives of their adversaries. We found that focusing on moral exemplars increased reconciliatory beliefs due to enhanced forgiveness. The second study confirmed the positive effects of such interventions on more specific affective, cognitive and behavioral aspects of reconciliation among both former victims and perpetrators. We discuss the importance of the historical narratives used in intervention programs in postconflict settings and draw practical implications from our results.

Fostering Contact After Historical Atrocities: The Potential of Moral Exemplars

“…On the other hand, there is evidence showing that some types of narratives about the conflict might become useful for overcoming obstacles in complicated postgenocide relations. One category of such narratives are stories about moral exemplars , that is, those members of the perpetrator group who acted morally, and in opposition to the passive or violent majority (Čehajić‐Clancy & Bilewicz, ).…”

“…So far, the effects of being presented with stories about moral exemplars were tested only in the context of intergroup contact paradigm where they were treated as a catalyst of its impact on attitudes (Bilewicz & Jaworska, ; Čehajić‐Clancy & Bilewicz, ). In these studies, information about moral exemplars catalyzed the positive effects of contact between conflicted groups even when the interaction was focused on aversive historical topics, what, under any other circumstances, would inhibit any improvement in attitudes (Bilewicz, ).…”

“…The aim of this research was to examine the effect of moral‐exemplars narratives on openness to contact in postconflict settings. Previous research (Bilewicz & Jaworska, ; Čehajić‐Clancy & Bilewicz, ) has suggested that moral exemplars can facilitate the positive effects of intergroup contact between groups with a history of violence. The current research shows that such narratives may be useful not only during actual intergroup encounters, but that they also may improve intergroup attitudes among groups deprived of contact.…”

How to Teach about the Holocaust? Psychological Obstacles in Historical Education in Poland and Germany

“…Based on that criticism, we will also propose several ways of overcoming these problems. Based on relevant social psychological research, we would like to propose three different approaches towards Holocaust education: an approach based on empathy and regret (Imhoff et al 2012), moral-exemplars approach (Bilewicz and Jaworska 2013;Čehajić-Clancy and Bilewicz 2016) and an approach based on local identities Wójcik et al 2010). Combination of these strategies could form an alternative to the dominant Holocaust education approach that is based on national identities and ethnic membership salience.…”

Collective memories and present-day intergroup relations: Introduction to the Special Thematic Section

“…Here, interest in textbook representations of distinct historical periods has significantly increased in recent decades (e.g., Psaltis et al, 2017). Finally, the fourth research line covers socio-psychological correlates of collective memories and their associations with attitudes and behavior in the present day, and includes many different topics such as the connections between collective memories and group-based emotions (e.g., Doosje et al, 1998;Figueiredo, Doosje, & Valentim, 2015), as well as reconciliation dynamics (e.g., Čehajić-Clancy & Bilewicz, 2017;Licata, Klein, & Gély, 2007;Rimé, Bouchat, Klein, & Licata, 2015). The Present Special Thematic Section…”