Peace and Reconciliation Survey

This survey is being conducted as part of the ACU’s recently established Peace & Reconciliation Network. The network is based on the belief that universities have a critical role to play in leading processes of truth-telling and reconciliation and brings together universities reflecting the diverse post-colonial and post-conflict contexts of the Commonwealth to address the transformation this demands across teaching, institutional reform and research. Further information on the network can be found here.

The concepts of ‘peace’ and ‘reconciliation’ are multifaceted. For the purposes of this survey, we are defining them as follows:

Peace: Efforts towards or studies relating to conflict, conflict resolution, peace-building, security, stability and / or social cohesion.

Reconciliation: A process related to peace-building and/or improving relationships between divided groups. Reconciliation can aim to establish truth, justice, forgiveness, and to address structural inequalities between groups or people. Reconciliation activities are context specific and can be attempts to re-establish trust and dialogue between small groups, or can include larger social or political processes such as truth and reconciliation commissions, memorialisation, reparations or processes of institutional reform.

Reconciliation processes may aim to include and uplift historically excluded groups, contributing to the establishment of lasting peace after a civil war, decolonisation, racialised segregation/discrimination, or historical traumas that have affected groups in society.