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Paper short abstract:

Basque and Spanish societies are currently starting to elaborate their peace process through a dynamic variety of activities that are renaming and relocating some of the events that have taken place around the so-called Basque conflict, within the framework of a reconciliation. This process constitutes a true critical event (Das, 1995) triggered towards the end of 2011 following an end to the armed activity of the ETA organization, the culmination of several decades of failed attempts to reach agreements, truces and negotiations in relation to the so-called Basque conflict. Through the efforts of diverse movements that have been shaping the construction of reconciliation, the juridical and institutional structure concerning the generation of recognised victims is being drawn up, producing laws, categorisations, invitations and events for those who bear no grudges or want no revenge (Le Franc 2010). Differential statutes of “those affected” and perhaps “citizens” will be progressively established, together with appropriate terms, controlled themselves by the transitional justices (Madlingozi 2010, Castillejo 2009, Elías 1994). Within this framework, I offer an ethnography of the processes of elaborating and institutionalising reconciliation in Basque and Spanish societies, of the concepts that sustain their peace processes at present. I analyse what the conditions are for producing the diverse spaces of elaborating the so-called peace process, examining both the social meanings and practices which set up its debate and realisation, and the ways in which it is produced and diffused from a field of knowledge and experts (institutions and agents), as well as activities aimed at civil society (courses, conferences, educational activities, mediations, products). How does a society reconcile? How were meanings for the diverse forms of violence generated? How do passive and active actors redefine themselves? How does a society re-educate itself?

Paper long abstract:

Basque and Spanish societies are currently starting to elaborate their peace process through a dynamic variety of activities that are renaming and relocating some of the events that have taken place around the so-called Basque conflict, within the framework of a reconciliation. This process constitutes a true critical event (Das, 1995) triggered towards the end of 2011 following an end to the armed activity of the ETA organization, the culmination of several decades of failed attempts to reach agreements, truces and negotiations in relation to the so-called Basque conflict.

I offer an ethnography of the processes of elaborating and institutionalising reconciliation in Basque and Spanish societies, of the concepts that sustain their peace processes at present. I analyse what the conditions are for producing the diverse spaces of elaborating the so-called peace process, examining both the social meanings and practices which set up its debate and realisation, and the ways in which it is produced and diffused from a field of knowledge and experts (institutions and agents), as well as activities aimed at civil society (courses, conferences, educational activities, mediations, products).

How does a society reconcile? How were meanings for the diverse forms of violence generated? How do passive and active actors redefine themselves? How does a society re-educate itself?