Abstract
This chapter focuses on definitions of peace and reconciliation in a sample of ordinary people from the Western European countries of France, Germany, Iceland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. The chapter briefly reviews major conflicts in the region, discusses underlying causes of the conflicts, and considers how peace and/or reconciliation were or were not achieved following the end of the conflicts. Next, the definitions of peace and reconciliation provided by the Western European participants are reported. The definitions of peace were generally nuanced and complex with a slightly larger percentage leaning toward positive than negative peace definitions, with another group of responses questioning whether peace is achievable or largely just an ideal. The majority of reconciliation definitions portrayed it as a process, with the most prevalent subcategory equating reconciliation with compromise, negotiation, or agreement.
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Salmberg, M. et al. (2013). Definitions of Peace and Reconciliation in Western Europe. In: Malley-Morrison, K., Mercurio, A., Twose, G. (eds) International Handbook of Peace and Reconciliation. Peace Psychology Book Series, vol 7. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5933-0_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5933-0_3
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