Bonn Center for Reconciliation Studies

At the Bonn Center for Reconciliation Studies, researchers from diverse disciplines—such as the humanities, social sciences, law, and history—work collaboratively to develop theories and methodologies aimed at understanding, analysing, and promoting processes of reconciliation.

About us

Research Objectives

When, why and how is "reconciliation" achieved in different cultures - after a ceasefire or a first public commitment to peace? How are the terms “reconciliation” and “peace” used in different cultural and historical contexts, when and why? Scientists research these questions and develop a "paternalism-free" working definition of "reconciliation" that enables a dialogue with the cooperation partners and future-oriented cooperation in the field of development policy.

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Juniorprofessorship

Job Vacancies: 12 Research Associates

The DFG Research Training Group 3125, ‘Reconciliation and its Equivalents in a Transcultural Comparison’ is looking to fill the following position from February 1, 2027 on, a fixed-term contract until January 31, 2031 in accordance with § 2 (1) WissZeitVG 12 Research Associates (65%) The DFG Research Training Group 3125, ‘Reconciliation and its Equivalents in a Transcultural Comparison’, aims to investigate concepts, strategies and practices of conflict transformation from an interdisciplinary and transcultural perspective, employing both synchronic and diachronic comparative analysis. Further information can be found here.

Symposium „Reconciliation, Reclamation, Resurgence“

On July 8 and 9, the symposium “Reconciliation, Reclamation, Resurgence” of the DFG network The Cultural Politics of Reconciliation took place. During the two-day program, researchers from Germany, Europe and North America came together to discuss the (im)possibilities of reconciliation and its alternatives in North America. BCRS members Katharina Fackler, coordinator of the network, Rosario Figari Layus and Ann-Sophie Vornholz contributed presentations of their current research.

Follow-up Report: “Reconciliation — A Utopia? Art and Science in Dialogue”

As part of the event series “Reconciliation—A Utopia?”, political scientist Grit Straßenberger was a guest in the foyer of the Schauspielhaus Bonn on June 10, 2026. There, she presented her biography of the philosopher and political thinker Hannah Arendt, published in 2025. The event was part of a collaboration between the Theater Bonn and the Bonn Center for Reconciliation Research and was dedicated to one of the most influential intellectuals of the 20th century

Follow-up Report: Workshop “Compensation as a Guiding Principle of Peace and Reconciliation Processes”

On 8 June 2026, scholars gathered during the University of Bonn’s Heritage Week to discuss the diverse roles of compensation and reparations in historical and contemporary peace and reconciliation processes. Co-organized with the Center for Historical Peace Research, the workshop brought together perspectives from history, cultural studies, and the social sciences.

© Highsmith, Carol M. Lake Clark in Southwestern Alaska or Qizhjeh Vena (the Athabascan name meaning "place where people gather lake"), is the ancestral homelands of the Dena'ina people and drains through Six Mile Lake and the Newhalen River into Iliamna Lake. 2023. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. Library of Congress, https://lccn.loc.gov/2024642247.

Wednesday Jul 08, 2026 until Jul 09, 2026

Symposium: Reconciliation, Reclamation, Resurgence

MPULSE – House for ...

11:30 AM

The symposium “Reconciliation, Reclamation, Resurgence: Transnational and Interdisciplinary Perspectives” brings together international scholars to discuss ...

Thursday Jul 02, 2026

25th Anniversary of Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Goethe-Institut Lima, ...

06:00 PM - 07:00 PM

On July 2, 2026, a commemorative event marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CVR) will take ...

Wednesday Jun 24, 2026

Reconciliation – A Utopia? Art and Science in Dialogue

Theater Bonn, Werkstatt

08:00 PM

As part of the lecture series “Reconciliation — A Utopia?”, journalist and author Gilda Sahebi and political scientist Ali Fathollah-Nejad will discuss current ...

Wednesday Jun 10, 2026

Reconciliation – A Utopia? Art and Science in Dialogue

Theater Bonn, ...

07:30 PM

The Thinker Hannah Arendt and Her Century Hannah Arendt is regarded as one of the most significant thinkers of the 20th century. Her life and work reflect ...