Memories of violence in the Rwandan diaspora : Intergenerational transmission and conflict transportation

How are memories of a violent past in the country of origin reproduced, contested and reinterpreted by younger diasporic generations? And what consequences do processes of memory transmission of a violent past have on younger generations’ identities and patterns of mobilisation? Based on an exploration of the transmission of memories of the 1994 genocide in the Rwandan diaspora in Belgium, this article demonstrates that the intergenerational transmission of conflict memories shapes the mobilisation of second-generation diasporans in significant ways, and largely explains patterns of conflict transportation in the country of residence. However, a reframing of issues related to Rwanda’s past, as well as a reorganisation and rethinking of diaspora cleavages and/or solidarities, from one generation to the next can also be observed. Such patterns can be explained by the need to translate memories of a painful past so that they can make sense and resonate in the country of residence.Peer reviewe

Diasporas, Home Conflicts, and Conflict Transportation in Countries of Settlement

acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Embodied Reconciliation : A New Research Agenda

Despite a growth in research exploring corporeal dimensions of peacebuilding, scholarship addressing intergroup reconciliation after violent conflict currently pays too little attention to the human body, and to the consequences of the embodied impact of political violence upon reconciliation. Rather, research tends to focus upon the narrative and discursive aspects of relationships between formerly warring parties. As a result, little is understood about how corporeal experiences of war might influence intergroup reconciliation. This article contends that a paradigm shift towards an embodied approach to reconciliation is necessary, specifically in our understanding of three interrelated spheres of application: the conceptual-theoretical, the practical, and the policy-oriented pillars of intergroup reconciliation after atrocious violence. Reconciliation is in practice embodied; this has, to date, been under-appreciated in the literature and so we require a more body-aware approach to understanding reconciliation; that latter approach will in turn allow for more effective practical and policy-related interventions.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

The European Public Space Observatory: assembling information that allows the monitoring of the European public space ; the Europub project, HPSE-CT-2001-00069 - final report

Der Forschungsbericht zur Demokratisierung in der Europäischen Union (EU) informiert über ein Projekt von 2001 bis 2004, das die Anwendung eines Demokratie-Modells auf die EU umfasst. Dabei konzentriert sich die Studie auf zwei Schlüsselbereiche des europäischen öffentlichen Bereiches: die Ebene der Politikgestaltung und die Offenheit bzw. Möglichkeit der politischen Partizipation sowie den politischen Diskurs über Europa, insbesondere zur Maßnahme der politischen Integration. Die Analyse umfasst dementsprechend (1) eine Reihe politischer Fallstudien auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen der Governance in einigen EU-Staaten sowie (2) die Befragung bzw. die Pfadanalyse der Karrieren von Mitgliedern der europäischen politischen Klasse. Die gewonnenen Ergebnisse werden sodann in ein Bewertungsmodell für die Betrachtung der europäischen Demokratie mit rund 400 Indikatoren integriert. Die Untersuchung macht deutlich, dass eine signifikante Variation unter den Politikbereichen hinsichtlich der institutionellen Opportunitätsstrukturen zur politischen Partizipation und der tatsächlichen Intensität der partizipatorischen Praxis besteht. Allerdings stehen diese beiden Dimensionen nicht in direkter Beziehung zueinander. Das heißt erstens, dass die partizipatorische Praxis nicht abhängig von den Opportunitätsstrukturen zur politischen Partizipation istund zweitens, dass ihre Existenz nicht immer zu dem gewünschten demokratischen Input in den politischen Entscheidungsprozessen führt. Somit muss eine Beleuchtung der Demokratisierung in Europa die politischen Institutionen auf europäischer und nationaler Ebene, aber auch die einflussnehmende Zivilgesellschaft berücksichtigen. Doch trotz dieser Variation lässt sich ein Aufkommen der europäischen Öffentlichkeit beobachten, und zwar in den Formen der Deliberation sowie der Debatten über öffentliche Themen mit Beteiligung der Bürger bzw. Bürgerrepräsentanten. Gleichzeitig lassen sich aber innerhalb von EU-Staaten auch Versuche seitens staatlicher Institutionen beobachten, in manchen Politikbereichen gesellschaftliche Akteure aktiv aus politischen Debatten auszuschließen. (ICG2

Research response to coronavirus disease 2019 needed better coordination and collaboration: a living mapping of registered trials

Objectives: Researchers worldwide are actively engaging in research activities to search for preventive and therapeutic interventions against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Our aim was to describe the planning of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in terms of timing related to the course of the COVID-19 epidemic and research question evaluated. Study Design and Setting: We performed a living mapping of RCTs registered in the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. We systematically search the platform every week for all RCTs evaluating preventive interventions and treatments for COVID-19 and created a publicly available interactive mapping tool at https://covid-nma.com to visualize all trials registered. Results: By August 12, 2020, 1,568 trials for COVID-19 were registered worldwide. Overall, the median ([Q1–Q3]; range) delay between the first case recorded in each country and the first RCT registered was 47 days ([33–67]; 15–163). For the 9 countries with the highest number of trials registered, most trials were registered after the peak of the epidemic (from 100% trials in Italy to 38% in the United States). Most trials evaluated treatments (1,333 trials; 85%); only 223 (14%) evaluated preventive strategies and 12 postacute period intervention. A total of 254 trials were planned to assess different regimens of hydroxychloroquine with an expected sample size of 110,883 patients. Conclusion: This living mapping analysis showed that COVID-19 trials have relatively small sample size with certain redundancy in research questions. Most trials were registered when the first peak of the pandemic has passed

Abandonner la violence? Comment l'Irlande du Nord sort du conflit

The book discusses the difficulty of achieving “social peace” in Northern Ireland, and argues that political agreement does not mean de facto social reconciliation. Violence has not disappeared, but has found new ways and actors through which to express itself. Facing a gradual fracture between political organizations and their respective communities, the peace process has been unable to build trust. The book thus argues that a decrease in inequalities and discrimination cannot be enough to reach reconciliation if local communities do not appropriate this goal. Local intercommunity dialogue must be complementary to the more general discussions on the province’s future