Revisionism or Reconciliation? Relating to a Conflict Ridden Past

Societies around the world face the challenge of dealing with legacies of violence and oppression. Some countries deal with their conflict ridden past through open discussions, judicial proceedings and various forms of truth-seeking measures. Others choose collective amnesia as strategy.

It seems that the past is seldom settled but can be questioned and re-written to the benefit of current political agendas and paradigms. Struggles over the past conflict are ongoing in for example Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwanda and Poland.

Why do some historical legacies continue to burden states and national identities? Can such conflicts be settled, and how should new interpretations of established history be dealt with? How do we take on the challenge of revisionism?

Together with the Living History Forum, we arranged a conversation between:

Jan Grabowski, Professor of History at the University of Ottawa and founder of the Polish Center for Holocaust Research, and

Johanna Mannergren Selimovic, Senior Research Fellow at UI, and Associate Professor of Peace and Development Research. Her research concerns memory politics in relation to peace processes.