A Political Psychological Analysis on Ethnic Conflicts and Peace Studies

Abstract

George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are contemned to repeat it." However, parties of ethnic conflicts around the world show otherwise. So, those who remember the past and those who honor the past prepare the environment for the experienced traumas to create motivation and to strengthen the prejudices and stereotypes. These are increasingly established in societies that experience ethnic and intractable conflicts. In this context, formed emotions and behavioral patterns show continuity as a preparatory and also a consequence of ethnic conflicts. This study aims to deal with some emotional factors that predispose to this situation in the context of peace studies from a social constructivist perspective. The study is literature research aiming to eliminate an important deficiency in the field of international relations in our country in the point that emotion production is an area of evaluation as an international security paradigm.

Keywords

• Ethnocentrism
• Conflict
• Peace
• Trauma
• Memory

Etnik Çatışmalar ve Barış Çalışmaları Üzerine Politik Psikolojik Bir İnceleme

Abstract

George Santayana, (1905) “Geçmişi hatırlayamayanlar onu tekrar etmeye mahkûmdur” demiştir. Ancak dünyadaki etnik çatışmaların tarafları, aksini göstermektedir. Nitekim, geçmişi hatırlayanlar ve geçmişi onurlandıranlar, yaşanılan travmaların motivasyon yaratmasına ve önyargı/klişelerin güçlenmesine ortam hazırlamaktadır. Etnik ve müzmin çatışmaları deneyimleyen toplumlarda bunlar giderek yerleşik hale gelmektedir. Bu bağlamda oluşan duygular ve davranış kalıpları, etnik çatışmaların hazırlayıcısı ve neticesi olarak süreklilik göstermektedir. Çalışma, bu duruma zemin hazırlayan birtakım duygusal etmenleri, barış çalışmaları bağlamında ve sosyal inşacılık bakış açısıyla ele almayı amaçlamaktadır. Çalışma, ülkemizde uluslararası ilişkiler alanında, duygu üretiminin uluslararası güvenlik paradigması olarak değerlendirme alanı olduğu noktasında önemli bir eksikliği gidermeyi hedefleyen literatür araştırmasıdır.

Keywords

• Etnosantrizm
• Çatışma
• Barış
• Travma
• Bellek

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