11.7. Getting the Hands Dirty: A Hands-On Honest and Tips-and-Tricks Abundant Roundtable on Methodological Approaches to Exploring Long-Term Memories of Mass Violence
This roundtable directly addresses the need for clear and accessible methodological guidance in tackling challenges related to memories of mass violence. It also responds to the needs of many early career scholars who seek practical examples of diverse methodological approaches. Memories of mass violence which are deeply consequential for democratic systems. While they can serve as a foundation for cultivating democratic culture, irreconcilable group memories can also impede social cohesion. Such memories are similarly vulnerable to instrumentalization in contexts of political polarization and democratic backsliding. We thus ask: how can researchers methodologically address these deeply sensitive and complex issues surrounding memories of past violence? This roundtable brings together scholars, each presenting a specific case study on long term memories of mass violence, alongside their chosen methodological approach, explained in a clear and replicable manner.
1) Stipe Odak, UCLouvain: Using Grounded Theory to Explore Memories of Past Violence. Grounded theory seeks to develop a testable theory based on rich data firmly rooted in empirical observation. It is particularly effective in cases where theoretical frameworks either do not yet exist or prove insufficient for understanding a given phenomenon. Drawing on fieldwork in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this presentation outlines a step-by-step process that moves from the preparation and collection of data to the construction of testable theoretical models.
2) Valérie Rosoux, UClouvain: Interviewing survivors and families of victims - ‘Go back home, it’s too late’ .The presentation is based on two decades of research conducted in post war settings. It highlights the difficulties, tensions, and dilemmas related to positionality. In the aftermath of mass atrocities, individuals can adopt various postures to navigate emotional, ethical, and political challenges. Instead of focusing on trust and empathy—topics that have been extensively covered in existing literature—the presentation advocates for humility and reflexivity. It specifically addresses three attitudes that are not only useless but also counterproductive in practice: ignorance, arrogance, and haste.
3) Carol Gluck, Columbia University: Studying Memory: First, the What and the Why, then the How. Memory is an enticing, important but sprawling subject, which demands perhaps more analytic reflection at the outset of its study than other more defined fields. What exactly is the topic? The formation of memory in the brain and in the wild (individual and collective), the relation of memory to history or experience, the role of the past in the personal, political, and social present, etc.? Why this topic and not another? Is the goal reconciliation, comprehending trauma, remembering the forgotten, doing justice to the past, creating a better future? Once we are clear about our premises and know where we stand in the relation between memory scholarship and memory activism, we can better know how to approach the topic and choose the methods that best suit the case at hand. Here the case is the memory of WWII atrocities, in particular, violence against women and civilian massacre, primarily but not only in Asia, but the aim is greater conceptual clarity on the practice of memory study
20260731T173020260731T1900America/Argentina/Buenos_Aires11.7. Getting the Hands Dirty: A Hands-On Honest and Tips-and-Tricks Abundant Roundtable on Methodological Approaches to Exploring Long-Term Memories of Mass ViolenceSVE4MSA Buenos Aires 2026buenosairesconference@memorystudiesassociation.org
