Abstract
Abstract
The research question I pose in this thesis is the following: which effect do the Nansen dialogue seminars have on interpersonal reconciliation, and what is the possible effect on reconciliation of the postconflict society in former Yugoslavia?
The Balkan Dialogue Project is an initiative of the Nansen Academy in Lillehammer, Norway, and is intended to contribute to interethnic reconciliation and peacebuilding in former Yugoslavia.
Are the dialogue seminars of the Balkan Dialogue Project a strategy for reconciliation? To see this clearly, I utilize theories from the field of social psychology, and investigate whether the structure of the dialogue seminars of the Balkan Dialogue Project is consistent with the specified conditions of the contact hypothesis, and whether the seminars contribute to changes in seminar members intergroup attitudes by processes of Decategorization and Recategorization. I find that the experimental findings of contact as a method of reducing intergroup prejudices are applicable to the real-world situation of dialogue seminars. The investigation demonstrates that the structure of the seminars of the Balkan Dialogue Project is consistent with the specifications of the contact hypothesis. The Nansen Dialogue methodology, focusing on creating a space for educational, physical, cultural and social activities, as well as opening up for cooperation between participants, reproduces the specified condition in its structure.
As my second research question was whether changes at an interpersonal level in the contact setting will be able to influence the wider process of reconciliation of the postconflict society of former Yugoslavia, I also investigated problems related to generalization of the contact experience. The process of intergroup reconciliation has to be generalised to the whole out-group, not just the out-group members of the contact experience. The experiences also have to be generalized to the macro level. These are seen as some of the main problems concerning the idea that contact enables reconciliation and intergroup attitude change. After all, the ultimate goal of initiatives of this type is that of reconciliation, to enable former conflict societies to live together in the future.