Marlene Steyn. Blended brothers, 2011; Oil and mixed media on canvas, 168 x 151, 5 cm. Image used with permission of the artist. ©Marlene Steyn

Art and culture is often given some prominence amongst the tools that are used to reconcile communities and to help deal with personal and collective trauma. Why is that the case, how effective is it and what complexities surround its use?

On 9th and 10th September 2014, AHRC Care for the Future: Thinking Forward through the Past and the Cultural Value Project held a symposium on Culture, Conflict and Post-Conflict. The symposium brought together leading researchers and practitioners across disciplines to consider the role of arts and cultural practices and performances in the process of post-conflict resolution and transformation. Topics were explored with special reference to conflict and post-conflict situations within the boundaries of states, primarily South Africa, Northern Ireland and Bosnia. Continue reading →