Role of resentment in social reconciliation: Mobilisation of victims in Colombia (2021)

Abstract

Introduction: Ten years after the implementation of Law 1448 of 2011 for the com-prehensive reparation of victims in Colombia, we developed non-experimental quantitative research to explore the interaction between feelings towards reconciliation (coexistence and reconstruction of trust) and the lasting resentment in victims of the conflict mobilized collec-tively in transitional justice scenarios. Method: We used data from two samples of participants from the departments of Caldas (N = 342) and Atlántico (N = 305). Results: We confirmed the scales on feelings toward reconciliation and lasting resentment, whose reliability was analyzed using Cronbach's alpha and omega coefficients. Subsequently, we performed a structural equation analysis and confirmed the following hypotheses: (1) victims experience more feelings of co-existence than feelings for rebuilding trust, and (2) Lasting resentment is an obstacle to deve-loping feelings towards reconciliation. Conclusions: We highlight that participants experience more feelings of coexistence and trust than they do lasting resentment; and that coexistence allows for the channeling of lasting resentment. These findings have considerable implica-tions for the development of feelings towards reconciliation in transitional justice settings.