Centro de Memoria Histórica Felipe Restrepo Acosta
Ten new research projects to address issues facing Colombia’s transition from conflict to peace, including one from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), have been announced by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Pathways to Reconciliation will be led by Professor Sandra Jovchelovitch, a professor of social psychology in LSE’s Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science and Dr Fabio Idrobo, Santa Fe de Bogota Foundation (FSFB). It will investigate the impact of Schools for Forgiveness and Reconciliation -ES.PE.RE - on the psychological and social wellbeing of victims of the Colombian conflict. ES.PE.RE is a third-sector programme which aims to support and improve the psychological and social wellbeing of victims of the Colombian conflict.
Professor Jovchelovitch said: “Depression, loss of emotional control, feelings of rage and vengeance are frequent outcomes of violent traumatic events and experiences of justice having been offended and forgiveness and reconciliation may have a central role to play in mitigating these outcomes and in the reconstruction of civil-war-torn societies. Although difficult to realise, they are key social and psychological processes for supporting people who have been placed in a vulnerable situation move past their debilitating circumstances. We aim to investigate both the detrimental consequences of violence and the pathways through which individuals and communities forge positive coping responses to these consequences.”
Pathways to Reconciliation: Investigating the impact of ES.PE.RE (Schools of Forgiveness and Reconciliation) on psychological and social well-being is one of ten projects, launched by UKRI in partnership with Colombia’s Administrative Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (Colciencias) and funded with £2.8 million through the Newton Fund. UK researchers will collaborate with colleagues in Colombia on projects designed to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development using the arts, humanities and social sciences.