Authors:Nekane Basabe; Darío Páez Abstract: This monograph aims to disseminate the results of various research studies carried out in the field of social and community psychology. The studies focus on efforts to build a culture of peace in post-conflict contexts and societies that have suffered collective and socio-political violence, with multiple and persistent human rights violations. Six studies on the psychosocial effects of transitional justice rituals from Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Basque country, Chile, and Ecuador compose this issue. This issue presents a series of results regarding the effects of reparation rituals and Truth Commissions, combining different methods and analysis strategies, including general population surveys, newspaper and social media content analysis, community intervention assessments and qualitative documentary analysis. Finally, two review books were included. First, a Peace Psychology Book that explores the implications and difficulties faced by societies that have experienced large-scale collective violence. Second, the problem of human rights violations and how to confront them, socio-political conflicts and the building of a culture of democracy and peace in Latin America are transversal axes of the chapters of this second book. PubDate: Tue, 28 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +010
Authors:Elena Zubieta; Juan Bombelli, Marcela Muratori Abstract: Terrorism carried out by State forces is the most reprehensible action to be taken because the power and resources of a country are used to generate terror. Such power and resources are aimed at reaching certain political goals instead of serving the citizens. Transitional Justice has raised complex debates related to democratisation, human rights and the reconstruction of the State and its institutions after periods of severe social conflict. After the last military dictatorship in Argentina (1976-1983), different transitional justice mechanisms were implemented to cope with the consequences of the State’s collective violence: Truth Commission, criminal trials, institutional reforms, as well as reparatory gestures. A descriptivecorrelational study of group difference was developed, with a non-experimental cross-sectional design. It was aimed at analysing the psychosocial impact of transitional justice measures taken in Argentina. The study was conducted on a non-probabilistic sample composed of 576 participants. Findings support the effectiveness of combined Transitional Justice measures, the weakness of recognition of criminal acts and apologies, and significant differences in terms of violence affectation. Received: 20 September 2021 Accepted: 25 November 2021 PubDate: Tue, 28 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +010
Authors:Angélica Caicedo-Moreno; Pablo Castro-Abril, Wilson López-López, Lorena Gil Montes Abstract: Colombia had the longest internal armed conflict in Latin America, and its government reached a peace agreement with the FARC guerrillas in 2016. This article explores the transitional justice social representations during the signing of the peace agreement (study 1) and their implementation, during 2019-2020 (study 2). The first study analyzes the news related to the institutions created from the peace agreement during 2016. The second study explores different psychosocial variables associated with its two most controversial institutions, the Truth Commission (TC) and the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) during 2019-2020, after the beginning of its work. The findings revealed that news articles from two principal Colombian newspapers illustrate two anchoring categories of transitional justice with an emphasis on victims, while the political position of the newspaper suggests possible disagreements on what peace entails. Surveys showed that political position and victimization are crucial for the approval and support of the TC and the JEP, as well as correlated with the level of media consumption regarding these institutions. Received: 17 September 2021 Accepted: 15 November 2021 PubDate: Tue, 28 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +010
Authors:Anderson Mathias Dias Santos; José Joaquín Pizarro Carrasco, Lidiane Silva de Araújo, Adriele Vieira de Lima Pinto Abstract: The study investigated the social representations of the Brazilian Truth Commission from the news comments about its final report released in December 2014. Method: Comments (N = 322) were collected in the three major newspapers websites in Brazil: “Folha de São Paulo”, “O Globo” and “O Estado de São Paulo” during the 48 hours following the report’s publication. They were submitted to a lexical analysis on the software Radicalized discourses justifying the violations and narratives denying the existence of a dictatorship were observed. Discussion: Results were in line with social media theories about online behavior, but they do not corroborate previous research on the social representations of the military regime and Truth Commissions in South America. Received: 15 September 2021 Accepted: 22 November 2021 PubDate: Tue, 28 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +010
Authors:Nekane Basabe; Miren Harizmendi, José Joaquín Pizarro Carrasco, Saioa Telletxea, Pablo Castro-Abril, Sonia Padoan Abstract: Post-conflict societies must confront the past and build a culture of peace. Two interventions are presented here in the context of the Basque Country after the cessation of violence. The first, an intervention with the participation of victims of terrorism, where participants (N = 280 Mage = 19.83 SD = 1.29) were assigned to intervention and control groups. Results showed that participation in the programme produced more favourable attitudes towards intergroup forgiveness, intergroup empathy, and the mediating effect of self-transcending emotions. Second, the Citizenship Processes programme of memory and recognition (N = 31 Mage = 19.48 SD = 3.91). Results showed an increase in forgiveness, intergroup empathy and a change in outgroup emotions from before to after the intervention. The impact of both programmes was medium-high and the relevance of combining narratives that avoid competitive victimisation and promote peaceful intergroup attitudes is discussed. Received: 14 September 2021 Accepted: 22 November 2021 PubDate: Tue, 28 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +010
Authors:Paula Tesche Roa; Asef Antonio Inostroza, Amanda Garrido Leiva Abstract: From the perspective of recent history, this article investigates the Chilean dictatorship (1973-1990) understood as a sociopolitical catastrophe in four places in the city of Concepción: the memorial stone to the «Vicaría de la Solidaridad Penquista» of the Archbishopric of Concepción, the memorial «August 23», the memorial of the Central Cemetery and the memorial «Detained-Disappeared and Executed for Political reasons of the Biobío region». The assumption is that the relationship between territory and memory makes it possible to configure different forms of socio-political catastrophe. The spatial, symbolic and functional dimensions of places are investigated, intending to explore the complexities and singularities of the meanings and practices that the dictatorship has produced as a socio-political catastrophe. The methodology used is qualitative and employs a documentary strategy. The study relies on primary sources of reports already published, secondary sources, including archives, academic and media documents, and documents in visual format. Received: 30 September 2021 Accepted: 23 November 2021 PubDate: Tue, 28 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +010
Authors:Carlos Reyes-Valenzuela; Gino Gondona-Opazo, Marcelo Rodríguez Abstract: The present study explores gender differences in aspects related to political-religious ideology and emotional expression in people reported in the Report of the Truth Commission of Ecuador (ICVE), which compiled information on human rights violations in the period 1983-2008. Sixty-four direct victims participated, evaluating perception by political-religious ideology, assessment of the work of the Commission, affectivity and social sharing of emotions. The results identify statistically significant differences between men and women in the variables of age, ideology, evaluation of the ICVE and social inhibition (all p < .05). The implications of a gender analysis in subsequent phases of Truth Commission work in Latin America are discussed. Recibido: 05 octubre 2021 Aceptado: 29 noviembre 2021 PubDate: Tue, 28 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +010
Authors:Pablo Castro-Abril Abstract: Frequently, the transition to peace seems impossible for groups affected by collective violence. The search for a peaceful society, where the memory, the victims' suffering, and the perpetrators' responsibilities coexist, requires titanic efforts in multiple dimensions that may seem unattainable. These efforts are the focus of the book “Transitioning to Peace: Promoting Global Social Justice and Non-Violence” edited by two distinguished scholars in the social and political psychology field with contributions from over twenty researchers from all continents PubDate: Tue, 28 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +010
Authors:Darío Páez Abstract: The book is part of the Psychology in Latin America series of the American Psychological Association (APA) edited by Judith Gibbons and Patricio Cumsille. The book presents a series of chapters written by Latin American researchers from Argentina, Colombia, Chile, El Salvador and Peru on different topics relevant to political psychology in Latin America. The problem of human rights violations and how to confront them, socio-political conflicts and the building of a culture of democracy and peace are transversal axes of the chapters of this book. PubDate: Tue, 28 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +010