Beyond Historical Guilt. Intergenerational Narratives of Violence and Reconciliation

The aim of this chapter is to discuss social and psychological theories exploring the role played by intergenerational narratives in the processes of intergroup reconciliation. Apart from their differences, all theories reviewed deal with the issue of if and how the old generation presents young members of a community, born after the end of extreme violent episodes or wars, with this controversial past of their group. The core idea of this chapter is that intergenerational narratives of historical pasts play a crucial role in the complex web of social and psychological processes involved in slowly building new intergroup relations after the ends of conflicts. Many empirical works show how biased narratives of past violence are crucial for the social production of contemporary intergroup hatred (see, e.g., Das, 1998). However, while they sometimes fuel old hatred toward past enemies, making these hatreds feel real and present again, at other times, intergenerational narratives about past history may enhance reconciliation. This chapter focuses on these last kinds of communication.