How war memories shape reconciliation, and when meta-humanization can help

What is it about?

People who lived through war often carry disturbing memories that continue to shape how they see former adversaries long after the conflict ends. This research examined how those memories relate to reconciliation in postwar Kosovo, where Kosovo Albanians experienced ethnic cleansing by Serbian forces in 1998 to 1999. Across three studies with over 600 participants, we investigated two things: first, how disturbing war-related memories connect to dehumanization and reduced openness to peace; and second, whether a strategy called meta-humanization, which involves learning that the outgroup sees your group as fully human, can help improve conciliatory attitudes. Study 1 found that more disturbing memories predicted greater perceptions that Serbs dehumanize Albanians, which in turn predicted more dehumanization of Serbs and less openness to contact and peace. Studies 2 and 3 experimentally showed that meta-humanization improved contact willingness, feelings of peace, and competitive victimhood compared to meta-dehumanization, though effects were stronger for people with lower levels of disturbing memories. Reduced outgroup dehumanization was the key mechanism throughout.

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Photo by Raj Rana on Unsplash

Photo by Raj Rana on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Post-conflict reconciliation is one of the most pressing challenges in peace psychology, yet most interventions do not account for how traumatic memories shape people's readiness to respond to them. This research shows that war-related memories are not just a background variable but a meaningful moderator of whether reconciliation strategies work. The finding that meta-humanization helps even those with high levels of disturbing memories, though less powerfully, is practically significant: it suggests this approach has broad reach while also highlighting where more intensive support may be needed. For peacebuilders and policymakers working in contexts where direct contact between former adversaries is limited, the results point to a viable and scalable alternative pathway through changing perceptions of how one's group is seen by the other side.