How Does Intergroup Contact Affect Reconciliation in Post-Conflict Colombia? Examining the Role of Conflict Appraisals and Emotions

Abstract

To better understand what facilitates reconciliation after violent conflict, we examined the relevance of intergroup contact, conflict appraisals and emotions for reconciliation in post-conflict Colombia. The first study with Colombian students (N1 = 260) was run shortly after the peace treaty with the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC), one of the biggest rebel groups in Colombia, was signed. The second study with members of the Colombian community (N2 = 346) was conducted 4 years after the peace treaty. We assessed the frequency of positive and negative direct and indirect contact experiences, conflict appraisals, intergroup emotions and reconciliation attitudes with a mixed-method approach combining open and closed questions. Conflict appraisals and emotions did not mediate the association between intergroup contact and attitudes towards reconciliation. Instead, intergroup contact and conflict appraisals represented different sources of reconciliation, which can be targeted by interventions.