Reconciliation research consists of two practices, one focusing on the emotional and healing aspects of the process and another that focus on the political and legal actions. Yeudith Auerbach created a theory, the reconciliation pyramid, which aims to manage both aspects. The purpose of this thesis is to apply Auerbach's theory to the reconciliation process in two empirical cases, the Rwandan genocide and the war in former Yugoslavia, Bosnia-Hercegovina. The aim is to assess the empirical processes' functionality on an individual level. By the concept of functionality we refer to the extent to which individuals have achieved reconciliation in reference to steps in the reconciliation pyramid. The reconciliation pyramid consists of seven different steps, each step brings the individual closer to reconciliation: 1. Acquaintance with Clashing Narratives 2. Acknowledging the Other’s Narratives, Without Necessarily Accepting Them as True 3. Expressing Empathy for the Other’s Plight 4. Assuming (at Least) Partial Responsibility for the Other’s Alleged Plights 5. Expressing Readiness for Restitution or Reparation for Past Wrongs 6. Publicly Apologizing and Asking for Forgiveness for Past Wrongs 7. Striving to Incorporate Opposite Narratives into Accepted Mutual Accounts of the Past By analyzing scientific texts and interviews with locals in Rwanda and Bosnia-Hercegovina their individual narratives of the conflict and reconciliation process, are made clear. The narratives are interpreted in order to deduce the degree of functionality of the process among the locals. Thus, the reconciliation process in Rwanda is constructed in a manner that requires participation by the local population, e.g the Gacaca courts. The extent of individual functionality in Bosnia-Hercegovina is less due to international actors, who designed the reconciliation model in Bosnia-Hercegovina, lack of resources and their inability find a way to incorporate the local population in the process. Auerbach's reconciliation pyramid and the functionality analysis can, however, be used to explain why the individual functionality in the Bosnia-Hercegovina model is so low. Keywords: reconciliation, Rwanda, Bosnien-Hercegovina, functionality, individual, narrative Words: 6 99
