This project addresses the question of reconciling divergent national histories. This is reconciliation as active security enhancement.

Different perceptions of history have always played an important part in interethnic conflicts. Divergent national histories that are seemingly exclusive are seen as obstacles for successful reconciliation. Nationalist historical narratives are utilized as weapons in ongoing conflicts or installed as landmines that aim at worsening interethnic relations.

Therefore, those who are working on conflict transformation are trying to employ methods of historical reconciliation that aim at narrowing the gap between those exclusive perceptions. Decades of international mediation efforts in post-conflict societies have produced a full arsenal of reconciliation measures aiming to defuse tension. Reconciliation as instrument of international state-building and reconstruction efforts, as well intended as they may have been, have so far fallen short of the expectations attached to them.

Reconciliation has long been regarded as prerequisite and remedy for the healing of war-torn societies.

Taking stock of European reconciliation examples

The project aims to take stock of past and present examples of historical reconciliation in Europe in various geographic areas.

While there are many studies that analyze reconciliation on country basis or compare contemporary ones, no attempt has yet been made to compare post-World War II reconciliation and reconciliation policies, with those following the downfall of the Soviet Union.

Many reconciliation policies have indeed been modeled after those implied in order to reconcile Germany with its western and eastern neighbors. However, no comprehensive and comparative project has so far tried to revisit past European cases of reconciliation that were apparently successful and those newer ones that have fallen short of the expectations.

For more about the project please see ECMI Annual Programme 2012.