When ownership hurts: Remembering the in-group wrongdoings after a long lasting collective amnesia

• Authors: Giovanna Leone , Mauro Sarrica
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This study explores the effects of two different kinds of text addressed to young Italian students, which convey past in-group war-crimes either in a detailed or in an evasive way. After completing a first questionnaire (and confirming the social amnesia on these crimes) a sample of Italian university students (number: 103; average age: 21.79) read two versions (factual vs. evasive) of a same historical text on Italian invasion of Ethiopia (1935–36). The results show that participants reading a detailed text feel react more emotionally and feel more involved. However, the more negative reactions linked to the detailed text were also associated to a stronger will to repair intergroup relations with the descendents of ancient victims of the in-group crimes. Positive consequences of negative emotions linked to detailed text that challenge a widespread collective amnesia of war crimes are discussed.

Keywords

EN

collective amnesia; historical narratives; war crimes; colonialism

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: Human Affairs
• Year: 2012
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 603-612

Dates

published

2012-10-01

online

2012-09-29

Contributors

author

Giovanna Leone

• University of Rome

author

Mauro Sarrica

• University of Rome

References

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/s13374-012-0048-6