Thesis (M.Phil.) - University of Queensland, 2006. / Includes bibliography.

How could citizens trust a new regime after being oppressed by the previous one? How could citizens forgive their neighbors who yesterday were executioners, used by the previous government, to commit atrocities (Halpern and Weinstein, 2004)? How could people ever feel safe in their own country after being traumatized by civil wars and human rights violations? Is there a political process that could help countries transition from an authoritarian regime to a democratic one and consolidate that democracy? This thesis argues that reconciliation commissions are the answer to all these questions. It also argues that they could be the middle step between peace and democracy-building. However, there are some necessary and sufficient conditions that need to be satisfied.

A post-conflict society tends to get locked in a history war. As the practice of history in its broad sense is a moral craft, representations of guilt and victimhood prevail in social memory. The representations are often bolstered by mythical references, wherefore deconstruction of myths is expected from history education for the purposes of post-conflict reconciliation. This article deals with the post-conflict uses of history in Finland, South Africa and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The three cases constitute examples of a class war, a race conflict and an ethno-religious armed clash. The memory politics and history curricula differ between the cases. Their comparison indicates, how far an imposition of one ´truth´, a dialogue of two ´truths´ and segregation of different memory communities are feasible strategies of post-conflict history education. The article suggests that history lessons can be an asset instead of a liability in the pursuit of reconciliation.

Reconciling human landscapes with wildlife needs can demand innovative solutions. Enhancing wildlife conservation in agricultural landscapes requires habitat restoration; returning marginal farmlands to wetlands in a way that remains productive for farmers can aid existing strategies. This study develops and explores the feasibility of an ecological design to rehabilitate wet, poor quality farmland into a wetland that can serve as wildlife habitat while producing a crop. Research targets methods of biophysical site restoration that are feasible for farmers to initiate; identification of temperate wetland crops with potential to meet economic and ecological criteria; and parameters for meeting farmers' needs in terms of management and desirability. Scientific literature on wetland and restoration ecology is examined and integrated with agricultural studies and interview responses from landowners involved in alternative food production. Primary data collection for design development centers on coastal British Columbia, where competing land uses have degraded many former wetlands while the region's fertile soils support prolific, diversified farming. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews with key informants involved in local food production were conducted as part of a participative research process in order to get input and feedback throughout design development. A case study site was chosen in a seasonally flooded agricultural watershed outside of Duncan, B. C. A design is proposed that combines five habitat types with a naturalized cropping system. Major findings include the potential use of many wild and native plants as crops, as a way to provide sufficient economic returns and maintain ecological sustainability. Current opportunities for wetland agriculture include niche marketing, added value products, agrotourism, and increasing sales through farm reputation. Possible deterrents include product marketing, and the unfamiliarity of the plants from a farming perspective, where levels of acceptable damage imposed by fluctuating water conditions, weed competition, and herbivory are undetermined. Participant response was positive overall with regards to the design and preliminary results indicate that such a system could be feasible. Public interest and technical ability to create an agricultural wetland exist; developing creative marketing for such products in North America appears to be the primary challenge. The design is thus proposed as a long-term study to minimize risk for interested landowners. Redesigning human landscapes to include wild species is an important step towards a more sustainable society.

The thickening line crafted as a ‘temporary’ border thirteen years ago during the Dayton Peace Agreement –dividing Bosnia into Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosniaks and Croats- is gaining an unsettling permanence in present-day Bosnia. As each of the three ethnic groups attempts to maintain their autonomy, they unwillingly share the divided country, while tangling the question of Bosnian identity into a perplexing web of religious and nationalistic ties. This thesis traces Bosnian history with a story of a singular building, the National Library. The library’s physical and programmatic changes parallel Bosnian political transformation through time. The destruction of the library during the siege of Sarajevo on many levels symbolizes the destruction of multicultural Bosnia as well. This thesis proposes a re-conceptualization of the Bosnian National Library as a new building where a dialogue between the segregated ethnic groups could to emerge through the use of a common shared secular space. This space will act as a point of cultural overlap that negates the idea of purity and homogeneity. Instead, through the building programme and its relationship with the city, the library will welcome diversity and encourage dialogue in order to attempt a dissolution of the boundaries between the group of inclusion and the “other”.

Reconciling human landscapes with wildlife needs can demand innovative solutions. Enhancing wildlife conservation in agricultural landscapes requires habitat restoration; returning marginal farmlands to wetlands in a way that remains productive for farmers can aid existing strategies. This study develops and explores the feasibility of an ecological design to rehabilitate wet, poor quality farmland into a wetland that can serve as wildlife habitat while producing a crop. Research targets methods of biophysical site restoration that are feasible for farmers to initiate; identification of temperate wetland crops with potential to meet economic and ecological criteria; and parameters for meeting farmers' needs in terms of management and desirability. Scientific literature on wetland and restoration ecology is examined and integrated with agricultural studies and interview responses from landowners involved in alternative food production. Primary data collection for design development centers on coastal British Columbia, where competing land uses have degraded many former wetlands while the region's fertile soils support prolific, diversified farming. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews with key informants involved in local food production were conducted as part of a participative research process in order to get input and feedback throughout design development. A case study site was chosen in a seasonally flooded agricultural watershed outside of Duncan, B. C. A design is proposed that combines five habitat types with a naturalized cropping system. Major findings include the potential use of many wild and native plants as crops, as a way to provide sufficient economic returns and maintain ecological sustainability. Current opportunities for wetland agriculture include niche marketing, added value products, agrotourism, and increasing sales through farm reputation. Possible deterrents include product marketing, and the unfamiliarity of the plants from a farming perspective, where levels of acceptable damage imposed by fluctuating water conditions, weed competition, and herbivory are undetermined. Participant response was positive overall with regards to the design and preliminary results indicate that such a system could be feasible. Public interest and technical ability to create an agricultural wetland exist; developing creative marketing for such products in North America appears to be the primary challenge. The design is thus proposed as a long-term study to minimize risk for interested landowners. Redesigning human landscapes to include wild species is an important step towards a more sustainable society.

The thickening line crafted as a ‘temporary’ border thirteen years ago during the Dayton Peace Agreement –dividing Bosnia into Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosniaks and Croats- is gaining an unsettling permanence in present-day Bosnia. As each of the three ethnic groups attempts to maintain their autonomy, they unwillingly share the divided country, while tangling the question of Bosnian identity into a perplexing web of religious and nationalistic ties. This thesis traces Bosnian history with a story of a singular building, the National Library. The library’s physical and programmatic changes parallel Bosnian political transformation through time. The destruction of the library during the siege of Sarajevo on many levels symbolizes the destruction of multicultural Bosnia as well. This thesis proposes a re-conceptualization of the Bosnian National Library as a new building where a dialogue between the segregated ethnic groups could to emerge through the use of a common shared secular space. This space will act as a point of cultural overlap that negates the idea of purity and homogeneity. Instead, through the building programme and its relationship with the city, the library will welcome diversity and encourage dialogue in order to attempt a dissolution of the boundaries between the group of inclusion and the “other”.

Post-conflict behaviors, including reconciliation, redirected aggression, and consolation, have been observed in several primate and non-primate species. These behaviors are thought to help re-establish rates of affiliation and tolerance to baseline levels, by terminating the victims stress response, and reducing the social tension created by conflict. Post-conflict behavior was examined in two groups (N = 13) of captive western lowland gorillas, a species for which no previous conflict resolution data exist. The post-conflict/matched-control method was used to observe the groups at Zoo Atlanta. Analyses of 223 conflicts (using chi-square, Wilcoxon signed ranks, and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests) showed significantly more affiliation between former opponents after a conflict when compared to control periods, indicating reconciliation. Results also showed significantly more affiliation between the victim and a third-party after a conflict, indicating consolation. Both solicited and unsolicited consolation were observed. Instances of redirected aggression were very few, and thus not included in the analyses. The majority of the affiliative interactions were social proximity, which suggests that unlike most nonhuman primates, proximity, rather than physical contact, may be the main mechanism for resolving conflicts in western lowland gorillas. Post-conflict behavior was not uniform throughout the groups, but rather varied according to dyad type (for instance, adult-adult, juvenile-juvenile, adult-juvenile, etc.). Effects of kinship and the intensity of aggression during a conflict on post-conflict behavioral patterns were analyzed.

<p>The purpose of this study is to investigate if reconciliation between former war-enemies and ethnic groups (Muslims, Croats and Serbs) in Bosnia and Hercegovina is possible today. Reconciliation between these groups is necessary for the development of the state and sustainable peace. In order to fulfil the aim I have applied qualitative conversation interviews together with qualitative literature study.</p><p>In this research I have studied the three largest parties (SDA, HDZ and SDS) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Conversation interviews were made with two representatives of each party. The reconciliation theory and the recommendations that the theory advocates were used in the study. The recommendations were also used to create interview questions that gave me relevant empirical data from the interviews. The interview data with the high representatives of these political parties led to a valid result.</p><p>The conclusions show that reconciliation between these three ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not possible today. Huge political, economical and social changes and improvements are necessary. All three classes, top-level, middle-range and grassroots, must get involved in the process if reconciliation is to be possible.</p><p>Keywords: Bosnia and Herzegovina, reconciliation, ethnic groups, political parties.</p>

Thesis--Freiburg i. Br. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 338-356).