Agonistic Memory and Peace - by Lisa Strömbom (Hardcover)

About the Book

Investigates memory initiatives in three of the world's hardest to solve conflicts and how they can be invested with more constructive dynamics.

Book Synopsis

This is a book about the power of memory in fractured societies and initiatives that resist pressures to simplify history. It traces the intricate pathways of local dialogue initiatives in three of the world's most emotionally charged conflicts: Colombia, Israel-Palestine, and Northern Ireland.

There, the past is always contested terrain--it is present, alive and deeply political. The book draws on agonistic peace theory, which proposes continued contestation, discussion and disagreement - in non-violent, constructive forms - as the most productive way to transform violent conflicts.

Focusing on how local organisations can work to facilitate dialogue about conflict memory, the analyses rely on interview-based case studies where organisations working on bringing people together to juxtapose their memories of these conflicts are probed. The results underline that safeguarding dialogue spaces, stimulating counter-hegemonic forces and the circulation of memory between memoryscapes at different scales are crucial enabling factors for successful agonistic memory work.

Review Quotes

In this outstanding extension of critical peace theory, Lisa Strömbom masterfully weaves together agonistic theory, memory studies, and the politics of recognition into an eloquent contribution. This work not only advances theoretical understanding but also reaches into the realm of policy and the practice of dialogical peace-making, offering a substantive framework for transformative engagement.--Tarja Väyrynen, Tampere University

What is remembered from the past, and how, matters for peace. This richly researched book, drawing on original interview material with grassroots memory actors, probes the spaces for agonistic memory work in the compelling post-accord contexts of Colombia, Northern Ireland and Israel-Palestine. Unmissable for memory scholars and political theorists alike.--Maria Mälksoo, University of Copenhagen