Kollektives Gedächtnis: Wie der Umgang mit der Vergangenheit Konflikte in der Gegenwart beeinflusst

How does remembering the past influence intergroup relations in the present? A group’s collective memory informs its self-image and social identity, and thus influences how people respond to challenges and threats in the present and whether their reactions promote peace or violence. How groups deal with past conflicts also impacts the success of reconciliation processes. Even after the official ending of a conflict, established narratives about the ‘other’ may persist in the form of prejudice and discrimination if reappraisal does not take place. Finally, future violence in other contexts or with other, new conflict parties can be prevented or fostered if groups can(not) come to terms with their past. Yet, there are some psychological barriers to a critical confrontation of the past, such as people’s desire to maintain a positive and moral group identity. In terms of collective memory, this often has as a consequence that past transgressions of the ingroup are neglected in the official narrative or that groups compete for the victim status. In this chapter we explore from a social psychological perspective how representations of history are influenced by identity needs in the present, how perpetrator and victim groups remember conflicts and, finally, how history can be remembered productively to promote peace.