POLI 227 Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: National Trauma, The Need, Conflict Management
The Need for Reconciliation for a New International Order
April 4, 2016
Began in the Early 1980s in Argentina – demanded by the Madres of the Plaza de Mayo – 30
since then – transition from authoritarian to another form of political regime
Importance of the idea of reconciliation, helps deal with the issues of development/north-south
division
Introduction: The High stakes when seeking reconciliation
• Reconciliation leads risks – frustration and lack of follow through
o Argument: injustices took place a long time ago, not worth it. Opening up a
potential pandora's box
• Problems that require reconciliation can only be ignored at one's own perils
o Recent national traumas must be addressed
o Historic trauma: (colonialism) will come back to haunt countries during times of
crisis and frustration
o Ex: migrants taken back from greece to turkey
• Overcoming the North- South Divide (GREATEST THREAT)
o subjugation : root of current country's policies
o Key to true decolonization: Decolonialism is central to their mission, root out
colonial legacy
• Foundation for Social Justice and Sustainable Democratic Governance (confront the past)
A Civil Society Perspective (RECAP)
• Common understanding of civil society
o A western phenomenon: individuals share a high level of consensus and trust
▪ Stronger in the west than in the south
o Normative: people are 'civil' towards one another – set of values adhered to by
people
• Alternative view: civil society as a sphere for conflict management (bolivia's popular
participation law reading)
o The social fabric formed by a multiplicity of self-constituted territorially and
functionally based units which peacefully coexist and collectively resists
subordination to the state, at the same time that they demand inclusion into
national political structures
o Process by which people may appear to be civil, regardless of trust
o The way people organize to defend interests
o Participate in political processes
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• Who particpates (doesn't) and how: measure of strength and likelihood that interests will
be met
o Ex: women's movements – only women can define and defend their interests
Civil Society and a Thin Societal Consensus
• Organizations accept that they are a part of a greater public entitity
o Social stalemate
o Agree to disagree
o Recognize public good
o Simply cannot win, make the best of the situation
• Organizations accept the right of other organizations to coexist within that entity
o Agree to disagree
o Violence denies the rights of another group to be a part of the larger entity (public
good)
o Distrust and an incentive to organize – if we all agreed people would not need to
participate because decision making processes would make satisfactory decisions
▪ Conflict management may later create consensus
• The actual level of society consensus is the outcome of historical processes
o Western Europe: arguably a max of social consensus (advanced welfare state,
policies intended max social inclusion, rich understanding of what works for the
country)
▪ Goes back to treaty of westphalia, 100s of years ago, realized after WWII
Civil Society and Indigenous people
• A colonial legacy: a thin societal consensus is difficult to achieve
o Nature of contested sovereignty means the nature of the public good and its
relation to indigenous people is also contested
▪ Who has the right to make decisions where?
o Colonialism, racism, and poverty imply a level of coercion (other people do not
recognize the rights of indigenous people) that belies a strong consensus on the
right of indigenous people to compete for political influence
▪
o This also makes it particularly difficult for indigenous people to organize
autonomously
• Without self-constituted collective organizations, indigenous people can neither negotiate
a solution to the problem of contested sovereignty, nor can they effectively work to
overcome the racism and history of exclusion; avoids radicalization.
o Thin society consensus doesn’t work or purposefully excludes the marginalized
group
o Only way to negotiate issues of contested sovereignty is by forming organizations
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find more resources at oneclass.com
What is Reconciliation?
• Many potential definitions
o Economic: reconcile accounts, expenditures, income, balance books
o Pragmatic: agree to disagree, stops there (conflict avoidance), coexistance
o Ideal: when everyone gets along, deep social consensus, no more past issues
• Ethnocentric rather than universal (reflect certain western values)
o Masking the reasons why reconciliation is needed in the first place – set historical
records straight, prevent further conflict,
▪ Underlying structural processes really don't matter
▪ Pragmatism is part of liberal culture (neo-liberalism is the only 'game in
town')
o Western-cenric?
▪ 2nd best compromises that prevent conflict
▪ Imposed on the rest of the world
• Assumes reconciliation is a state of being: We are (or ar not) reconciled
o Ignores process through which reconciliation takes place
o Bias
o Nothing in between, no road map to achieve it
o Understimates efforts to achieve reconciliation (an end vs a mean)
• Too much onus on the people who are wronged – Elitist
o EX: public truth and reconciliation commission (Canada and South Africa)
o Poor people victimized in the process of trying to find the truth
▪ Explain that they’ve been wronged
▪ What's missed: elites are guilty, have the most to lose, not tried
▪ Responsibilty on those who have been wronged vs the antagonists or those
who were complicit
Reconciliation as Agency and Process
• Process:
o Inclusiveness
o Equality of participation
o Mutual respect: parties involved have the right ot participate, respect enough to
liste (platform to negotiate/resolve conflict)
• Long-term process: cumulative and self-reinforcing (legitimates process, encourages
many to participate, leading to activity, snowballing effefct)
o Deeper the wrongs, more complicated problems, severe social trauma, longer time
to make progress
• Practice:
o Daily lives – how you deal with others who are different
o Way to relate to others/orgs
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com