How Societies Heal After Conflict
A consortium of scholars and practitioners are working to identify the factors that both help and obstruct long-term peace after conflict.
When a war or conflict ends, the long process of healing and mending society begins. The end of conflict calls for creating new government structures, diffusing political divisions, and drawing human hearts and minds into new ways to coexist and cooperate.
A network of scholars and practitioners from around the world are looking closely at societies that have emerged from conflict to learn from their successes and failures. Members of the Global Scholars Network on Identity and Conflict (GSNIC) aim to understand the processes that both promote and hinder reconciliation, recognizing that transformation out of conflict is a process that can take years, even decades to achieve.
The guiding mission of GSNIC is to improve intergroup relations in regions impacted by “identity-driven” conflicts, such as those ostensibly waged along ethnic, religious, or related lines. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogues among scholars and policy practitioners, GSNIC aims to uncover root causes of these conflicts and develop strategies to diffuse them. This approach not only advances global scholarly understanding but also generates practical solutions that can be applied in real-world contexts.
GSNIC researchers study the many levels of society that must be engaged in order to establish a lasting peace after conflict: civil society, government institutions, electoral structures, political elites, law, international actors, and more.
The following Global Partner Interviews showcase the research and experiences of GSNIC partners who have worked on peacebuilding efforts in postconflict settings around the world.
Watch Global Partner Interviews
Interview with Farhan Siddiqi (Quaid I Azam University) discusses his research on Pakistan's blasphemy laws and their recent politicization—and how political elites in Pakistan have co-opted and applied blasphemy for political gain.
Interview with Avila Kilmurray, longtime peace and social activist from Belfast, discusses the complexities of reconciliation in conflict resolution—emphasizing the importance of understanding the reasons behind conflicts and the need for inclusive dialogue.
Interview with Louise Mallinder (Queen's University, Belfast) discusses her journey into the study of amnesties and their role in conflict resolution.
Interview with Kieran McEvoy (Queen's University, Belfast) discusses the complexities of working as a human rights lawyer in post-conflict settings, particularly in Northern Ireland.
Interview with Rory Montgomery, former Ambassador and diplomat, discusses the intricate dynamics of the Northern Ireland peace process—focusing on the roles of public opinion, governmental cooperation, international influences, and leadership.
Interview with Laia Balcells (Georgetown University) discusses her research on transitional justice museums in Chile, Northern Ireland, and the US.
Interview with Dženana Šabić Hamidović (Institut Mentis in Sarajevo) discusses the European Commission's fourteen priorities for her country on the path to EU membership, emphasizing the need for collaboration between civil society and government to ensure a sustainable peace.
Interview with Melani Cammett (Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University) discusses her extensive research on identity and conflict, particularly in the context of the Middle East.