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Lisa Strömbom explores memory dialogues during and after war in the new book Agonistic Memory and Peace

Lisa Strömbom lektor och docent i Statsvetenskap Fotograf Johan Persson
Lisa Strömbom lektor och docent i Statsvetenskap. Fotograf: Johan Persson

Lisa Strömbom has recently published Agonistic Memory and Peace. Colombia, Northern Ireland and Israel-Palestine (Edinburgh University Press). The book investigates the role of memory politics in societies marked by deep conflict and shows how certain forms of local dialogue initiatives can counteract simplified understandings of a conflict’s history.

Drawing on interview-based case studies from three of the world’s most emotionally charged conflict settings, Colombia, Israel–Palestine, and Northern Ireland, Strömbom analyses how organisations work to create encounters in which different memories and experiences can be juxtaposed. 

Grounded in agonistic peace theory, the study develops the concept of agonistic memory work and highlights the importance of protecting spaces for dialogue, strengthening counter-hegemonic forces, and enabling the circulation of memories across different memory-scapes on different scales.

The book offers new insights into how constructive disagreement, maintaining respect for diverse experiences of conflict, can contribute to conflict transformation processes in polarised societies.

Agonistic Memory and Peace: Colombia, Northern Ireland and Israel-Palestine on JSTOR