Agnostic Memory and Peace: Colombia, Northern Ireland and Israel-Palestine

How can societies emerging from violent conflict engage with deeply contested pasts without erasing difference or forcing consensus?

In this seminar, Lisa Strömbom, Associate Professor of Political Science at Lund University, Sweden, presents her latest book, Agonistic Memory and Peace: Colombia, Northern Ireland and Israel-Palestine, which explores the transformative potential of memory work in some of the world's most enduring and emotionally charged conflicts.

Drawing on in-depth qualitative research in Colombia, Northern Ireland, and Israel-Palestine, the book examines how local organizations create spaces where competing memories of violence, loss, and injustice can be expressed, challenged, and placed in dialogue with one another.

Rather than viewing disagreement as an obstacle to peace, the book draws on agonistic peace theory to argue that sustained, non-violent contestation can become a productive force for conflict transformation.