How do societies learn to speak again after war? What kinds of speech – and silence – mark the fragile thresholds between violence and peace? This workshop brings together scholars and practitioners to examine cultural and political responses to war’s aftermath, focusing on the languages, agents, and practices of reconciliation and appeasement.

We would like to explore how communities that have experienced organized violence articulate trauma, negotiate contested memories, and seek justice. The transitional moment between war and peace is often marked not only by institutional processes – such as the work of truth and reconciliation commissions, international tribunals, and ecclesial diplomacy – but also by local cultural, theological, and civic efforts to reimagine shared futures. However, once the war “ends,” the global media and political elite are no longer interested in post-conflict societies. Being essential for achieving sustainable peace, the social realm of post-conflict transitions remains contested and fragile. This workshop seeks to foreground these transitional dynamics and to explore the languages, practices, and actors that shape post-conflict life.