Post-conflict memory work: to be taught!

In a conflict, different parties oppose each other. After the conflict, memories are torn apart. A plurality of memories is in fact born from each person's experience, from the structure of their personality, from the context, etc. Taking into account this question of memory is fundamental in post-war contexts but is just as important for societies which have not directly experienced a civil or international war for a long time.

A concrete path for working with young people aged 16 and over has been developed by Justice and Peace through its Mémoriaction educational tool. The issues linked to the work of memory make it possible to understand current political and social questions and to decode the functioning of societies, here and elsewhere. In this symbolic year of commemoration of the 14-18 war, it is useful to encourage young people to question the role of memory and to understand the difficulties which sometimes still present themselves generations later... How does memory work? What can memory work be used for and how can it take place? Plurality of memories The same event can give rise to a multitude of memories from different individuals or even from a single person. This is explained by the fact that throughout our lives, we create representations based on our life experiences, our experiences (education, transmission, etc.). We constantly and unconsciously draw on these representations in order to analyze what happens to us and what we remember. The way in which we perceive the world and the meaning attributed to an event are therefore directed by these mental representations which serve as a reference for us. The phenomenon will be identical at the collective level because a group also develops its own representations based on common experience, which will fuel their memory of events. It is therefore logical that, in the context of a conflict, we observe contrasting stories. Furthermore, alongside these various pre-established systems of representation is added the fact that, during conflicts, individuals experience very different things. Some will have experienced hunger and prison while others have experienced a period of relative security, including economic security. This diversity of experiences will inevitably give rise to different memories of the same period. Let us also mention the case of so-called “traumatic” memories due to the atrocities of war. These may manifest as a certain blockage on the traumatic event and condition the way in which the present and the future will be understood, including sometimes becoming a permanent obsession. Traumatic memory operates on both an individual and collective level and in both cases, it will require memory work. This should then allow individuals to modify their representations of themselves and the source of the trauma (aggressor, opposing side, etc.). Memory work, to avoid blockage Following a conflict, individuals try to find mechanisms to heal their wounds. These mechanisms take the form of personal and collective initiatives which will enable the work of memory. This is a process that must be carried out by as many stakeholders as possible so that society moves forward. We must leave open access to the past in order to move forward in the present without living in the past. Memory work allows you to change your representations of others and yourself in order to once again be able to project yourself into the future and, ultimately, imagine life together as possible again. If we manage to rework our representation of the past to make the present bearable, we can also use this past as a force to move forward, (re)build ourselves, (re)build society. The government will also have to act in this direction so that this work has a societal dimension and tends towards democracy. The goal is not to stay stuck in the past but to take it into account in order to move forward towards a more united society. Consequently, for this work of memory to be successful and as balanced as possible, the presence of all stakeholders in society is necessary. A framework for moving forward together Concretely, an interesting approach is one which sees the implementation of so-called top-down initiatives at the same time as others called bottom-up. Far from constituting a fixed “recipe” for post-conflict collective work, it is rather a question of creating a framework allowing a diversity of actions and situations to be taken into account. The bottom-up concept is a bottom-up approach. It means that the initiatives put in place by the population are authorized by the country's authorities. The interest of these citizen initiatives is that the experiences and suffering of various parts of the population are recognized by the authorities and that the divided society can rebuild itself on the basis of this recognition (examples: discussion groups, symbolic gestures, etc.) . The top-down concept is a top-down approach: from “top to bottom”. In this case, these are initiatives put in place by the authorities. It is of course essential, for real memory work to begin to take place, that these initiatives correspond to the expectations of the entire population and that no party feels “wronged” or denied in their experience. (examples: official ceremonies, justice work, memorials, etc.). …and live together In order for the country to find balance during its reconciliation, initiatives from above, top-down, must meet those from the base, bottom-up, and vice versa. The work of reconciliation therefore relies fully on the relationship between the population and national/regional authorities. In other words, reconciliation requires both political and citizen leadership. Without political support, the efforts of certain individuals and/or groups will not be sufficient to influence the entire population. At the same time, without the support of the people, official speeches and public ceremonies are in vain. The authorities must therefore listen to citizens, both propose and welcome: they must not repress the initiatives of the population, nor deny the experiences of certain groups by imposing, for example, all commemoration choices. The link with democracy appears clearly at this stage, even if the elements identified previously are not sufficient to ensure the transition to democratic-type functioning. Justice work is obviously also a major factor in the process. Justice will help ensure that only rigorously established facts are denounced and that, on this clear and legitimate basis, individuals, direct victims or not, can carry out their work of memory and make it sustainable. An element that lies at the heart of the reasoning around top-down/bottom-up initiatives is the importance of recognizing the different memories linked to the conflict. The government has, on this point, a rather delicate role. It must in fact leave space for expression for the different memories of citizens and ensure them recognition. But it is also absolutely necessary to set limits to these memories by firmly refuting the public expression of those which go beyond the framework of “historical truth” because otherwise, there is the risk of falling into negationism. A concrete tool: Mémoriaction Justice et Paix has developed an educational tool which addresses these complex questions through real situations and testimonies, emphasizing the link between collective memory and democratic dimension. In view of the above, it is easy to understand that memory has a strong influence on society. The way in which a community perceives its past will influence its behavior in the present and guide its choices in relation to the future. Helping young people understand all this through role-playing and analysis of concrete cases is important! Mémoriaction offers theoretical and educational supports to address this theme with young people aged 16 and over. The concrete case which serves as a basis for the proposed route is that of Spain. The civil war experienced by this country, close to us both geographically and culturally, still has a profound impact on Spanish society, many of whose nationals live in Belgium and France. The development of memory work has not been – and still is not – simple for Spain. In fact, during Franco's time, it went through a phase of overvaluing certain aspects of the war before experiencing a long period of forced obliteration of past events. It is only recently that Spanish society as a whole has been able to truly begin to engage in memory work, and this is not without difficulty... This tool is intended to be modular. The three notebooks that make it up follow a logical progression (historical aspect of the civil war and the dictatorship – plurality of memories – path towards living together) but can be used separately. It is precisely to enable young people to both understand and feel, experience and share the experience of this population that the use of media tools has been placed at the heart of the tool. If it is indeed essential to study the historical aspect of the facts, this tool aims to underline the importance of also addressing the experience and memory of these facts. Alongside so-called “historical” truths, there are in fact, at the heart of each society, more subjective truths with less fixed contours. They must be taken into account because memory is intimately linked to society, just as the work of memory is to democracy. Laura Malchair Mémoriaction, an educational tool to approach memory work • Based on the case of Spain. • For youth leaders/trainers aged 16 and over. • On sale for €5. Interested? Need information? Contact us on 02/738 08 01 or by E-mail

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