Sean Pettis is Programme Manager for Legacies of Conflict at the Corrymeela Community in Northern Ireland. He was a guest speaker at our Difficult Histories & Positive Identities conference in February 2019, in the session on 'Peace, Reconciliation and Positive Identities'.

In his short talk to the conference, which set the tone for the session on 'Peace, Reconciliation and Positive Identities', Sean addressed the following issues:
  • How do you reconcile a very recent difficult past, one which is still very present in the minds of survivor and perpetrators alive today?

  • How can positive identities grow out of forgiveness and peacebuilding efforts today?

  • What, if any, impact can community projects, including arts projects, have on creating positive shared identities in post-conflict communities?

  • How can the phrase ‘history doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes’ be helpful for understanding reconciliation and peacebuilding as a means of safeguarding future generations from reliving these difficult histories?

Further resources from this conference can also be found on our Read, Watch, Listen webpages.

Sound Cloud
Resource Type
Published Date
5 March, 2019