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Iulia E. Padeanu
Grassroots projects, whilst limited in their resources and thus unable to
fundamentally alter post-conflict societies, can play an important role
in the process of reconciliation by encouraging development of trust,
forgiveness, and cooperation among conflicting groups. By employing
a managed approach to intergroup contact, grassroots projects can offer
an opportunity for opposing groups to meet, get to know each other, and
take the first steps towards reconciliation. In this way, projects aiming to
employ the intergroup theory fight one of its most frequent criticisms:
that intergroup contact cannot be beneficial where there is no opportunity for it (Crisp and Turner 2009: 232). By integrating the most marginalized and forgotten elements of a society into the peace-building process,
grassroots efforts create a durable, long-term infrastructure that breaks
down walls and fosters respect, forgiveness, and mutual trust.
The Role of Forgiveness in Reconciliation
Lack of societal and intergroup forgiveness is a major issue that can
stand in the way of reconciliation. This can be observed in post-conflict
societies, such as Northern Ireland, where anger lingers and the memory
and proximity of political violence may reduce the willingness to forgive
(Hamber 2007: 118). This can also be seen in other deeply rooted conflicts, such as those in the former Yugoslavia, where victims’ forgiveness
is of crucial importance in developing sustainable psychological and
political reconciliation (Cehajic et al 2008: 352). Without forgiveness,
communities that were once in conflict will be unable to collaborate, cooperate, and create sustainable peace; for they will continue to hark back
to their violent past and blame each other for the hurt and pain sustained
during conflict. In some ways, in the post-conflict period, forgiveness is
the culmination of the healing process (Mbugua 2011: 21).
While it is possible to have forgiveness without a complete or genuine
process of reconciliation, there can rarely be reconciliation without any
intergroup forgiveness (Enright 2001: 31). Reconciliation, a voluntary