PSYC378

Description

Most societies grapple with the psychological and material consequences of collective violence that was committed by one group against another - slavery, genocide, wars, and other mass atrocities continue to affect group members and intergroup relations even decades later as collective memories of the violence are passed down generations - or collectively and purposefully denied and repressed. Past violence often feeds into present-day conflict and strains intergroup relations in several other ways because of the different perspectives of victim and perpetrator groups on the historical events and distinct psychological needs in the aftermath of collective violence. This seminar addresses these social psychological dynamics among victim and perpetrator groups in the aftermath of intergroup violence. We will examine the different psychological needs, cognitions, and emotions among descendants of victim and perpetrator groups, and learn about the social psychological processes that influence collective memories of violence, responses to transitional justice mechanisms, reparations and redress. Particular emphasis will be placed on the divergent perspectives between victim and perpetrator groups and the psychological obstacles that get in the way of reconciliation. The readings we will discuss draw from societies on all continents of the world, including (but not limited to) the aftermath of colonization of Africa, genocides against Indigenous peoples in the Americas and in Australia, the Armenian Genocide, mass violence in Bangladesh, political violence in Chile, the Holocaust, civil war in Liberia, the conflict in Northern Ireland, the Rwandan genocide, Apartheid in South Africa, wars in former Yugoslavia, and slavery and racism in the U.S.