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"Considering the value of archives for dealing with the past processes, especially for the establishment of collective memory and identity, this paper discusses the role of archives in situations of conflicting memories such as in the case of the official Turkish denial of the Armenian genocide. A crucial problem of Turkish-Armenian reconciliation are the divergent perceptions of what to consider as proper 'evidence', i.e. as
objective, reliable, impartial or trustworthy sources of knowledge in order to prove the Armenian genocide. The aim of this paper is to show how in a general atmosphere of distrust or prejudiced credibility judgments, even technically reliable archival records will be perceived as unreliable and biased, lacking any evidentiary status to factually prove a genocide which is categorically denied. Therefore, this working paper discusses how claims to reliability, objectivity and other similar scientifically and epistemically relevant
attributes are understood in archival science as well as memory studies, and emphasizes the problems
related to their instrumentalization by political actors within the context of genocide denialism. The Turkish-Armenian context promises many important empirical as well as theoretical insights on the uses and misuses of these attributes, suggesting that measures ought to be taken beforehand to decrease intergroup prejudice and distrust toward the 'other', so that archives can be effective in the truth-finding process." (author's abstract)

This paper argues that we are dealing with a protracted conflict in EU migration governance, namely between the normative frameworks of securitization of migration and refugee protection. The conflict happens around their differing answers to the question of who is entitled to protection. This unresolved conflict contributes to sustaining violence at Europe's borders and perpetuates the policy deadlock on migration.

The paper examines the role of conflict-generated diasporas and their agency in state-sanctioned truth-seeking processes by asking how such a process impacts the diaspora community in the country of residence and what purpose the process serves the diaspora. It builds on the case study of the Colombian diaspora in Switzerland as the Colombian Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence, and Non-repetition (Comisión para el Esclarecimiento de la Verdad, la Convivencia y la No Repetición; CEV) from 2018-2022 was the first truth commission to officially have a mandate to include diaspora communities in their truth-seeking.

This paper explores the civic and political participation of displaced Syrians in the affairs of their country. Through a comparative study relying on desk reviews and key informant interviews, it outlines the multi-level obstacles to formal and informal participation for Syrians displaced in Germany and in non-government-controlled Syrian areas. Opportunities for participation provided by displacement are also uncovered, both in Syria and in Germany. This paper argues that the restricted civic and political participation of the displaced remains a hinderance to restoring social cohesion among Syrians. Therefore, it suggests considering the civic and political rights of the displaced as a necessary tool to move towards a national reconciliation at different levels of various political processes, at home or internationally.

"Considering the value of archives for dealing with the past processes, especially for the establishment of collective memory and identity, this paper discusses the role of archives in situations of conflicting memories such as in the case of the official Turkish denial of the Armenian genocide. A crucial problem of Turkish-Armenian reconciliation are the divergent perceptions of what to consider as proper 'evidence', i.e. as objective, reliable, impartial or trustworthy sources of knowledge in order to prove the Armenian genocide. The aim of this paper is to show how in a general atmosphere of distrust or prejudiced credibility judgments, even technically reliable archival records will be perceived as unreliable and biased, lacking any evidentiary status to factually prove a genocide which is categorically denied. Therefore, this working paper discusses how claims to reliability, objectivity and other similar scientifically and epistemically relevant attributes are understood in archival science as well as memory studies, and emphasizes the problems related to their instrumentalization by political actors within the context of genocide denialism. The Turkish-Armenian context promises many important empirical as well as theoretical insights on the uses and misuses of these attributes, suggesting that measures ought to be taken beforehand to decrease intergroup prejudice and distrust toward the 'other', so that archives can be effective in the truth-finding process." (author's abstract)

Between 1867 and 1996, approximately 150,000 Aboriginal students went through one of 135 residential schools located across Canada. These schools were created and supported by both the Canadian government and churches. Though the outward goal of the Indian Residential School system had been to educate Aboriginal children, in reality the system was fraught with problems including systemic abuse, neglect, and poor quality of the education. The effects have been long lasting and profound, and continue to be felt today. In 2008, a truth and reconciliation commission (TRC) was launched with the goals of gathering the testimony of former students, determining the complete history of the residential school system, and offer recommendations to aid in the road to reconciliation. In June 2015, the Canadian TRC published a summary of its final report on the Indian Residential School system. The report includes 94 recommendations and describes the Indian Residential School system as cultural genocide. This paper examines the resistance to the TRC by both the Canadian government and by Aboriginal Peoples. It argues that the government resisted in order to maintain its narrative of its relationship Aboriginal Peoples, and did so by making it difficult for the TRC to acquire the required documents and archival files. It will also argue that Aboriginal resistance can be explained by a lack of trust in the Canadian government, a sense of re-victimization, and the conception of the TRC.

This working paper seeks to examine the debates that the potential creation of a truth commission in Spain has elicited. In particular, it discusses issues related to the timing of truth commissions, to the notion that these bodies seek to establish a single truth and to the frequently raised truth versus justice debate. Moreover, it looks at the process of the decentralization of memory laws in the country since 2011 and discusses the advantages and risks of creating regional truth commissions.

This paper presents research in developing spatial approaches to peacebuilding in post-conflict cities. While studies of post-war cities usually focus on past violence and continuous divisions, we in addition look at spaces where the coming together of people from different ethnonational groups is unproblematic. To understand the different dynamics in these spaces we draw on Björkdahl's distinction between war- and peacescapes and Bollen and Brand's distinction between socio-fugal and socio-petal spaces. In the Bosnian city of Brčko, war monuments commemorating the (para)military formations of each of the three ethnic groups mark central space in an exclusive fashion through the use of mutually exclusive symbols.