ABSTRACT
Memories of genocide and mass atrocities contribute at times to renewed mass violence, especially when these memories are used to incite xenophobia. Yet, it is difficult to develop policies and even more to implement policies that counter-representations of memories of historical violence. This lack of experience results in too little attention paid to collective memory as a topic of policy or advocacy and it remains tentative and suggestive. Conflict resolution experts, even when they recognize the centrality of collective memory as a risk factor, do not offer policies to counter the risks. We propose that this can be remedied by engaging with historical dialogue. This conveys developing a discourse that embraces the possibility of redress for past political violence. It can take any number of forms, but is most critical in its impact on culture and identity. The introduction lays out the complexity of historical dialogue and the following chapters describe examples that engage redressing the past.
