Forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace between groups

Groups can inflict unspeakable violence and hurt on other groups, transgressing accepted rules and morals in form of repression, persecution, war crimes, or genocide. Although the transgressions may be stoppable through conflict resolution, the traumas caused and the necessity of a shared future often require reconciliation between the groups, a repair of their relationship and identities. In this chapter, I review research on the promise and possible functions of intergroup forgiveness for reconciliation; problems that the intergroup context poses for forgiveness; psychological pathways, concepts and processes, through which these challenges might be overcome; and practices to promote forgiveness and reconciliation that have been tested in the field. I conclude by arguing that forgiveness itself should be regarded as a process of working through loss and wrongdoing, in an interaction between both parties, and reciprocally related with conditions that at once promote, and are promoted by, forgiveness.