Organised by Dr. Hawraman Karim, Lecturer at the University of Sulaimani and Director of the Halabja Genocide Collective Memory Project, this workshop explores the vital role of memorial sites in peacebuilding, examining how places of remembrance can transform collective trauma into foundations for societal peace. Drawing on the understanding that unprocessed memory often leads to recurring cycles of violence, the workshop will investigate how memorials function as antidotes to amnesia, spaces for "working through" collective trauma, tools for restorative justice, and platforms for fostering inclusive identities. Participants will critically examine the mechanisms through which memorials achieve these goals—through acknowledgment and validation of suffering, creating spaces for contemplation and empathy, teaching critical history, and serving as platforms for dialogue. The workshop will specifically focus on memorials across Turkey and Kurdistan, considering their potential to shape collective memory and contribute to peacebuilding, while also acknowledging the challenges and complexities inherent in the journey from remembrance to reconciliation.
The proposed workshop is designed to transform participants from observers or visitors into informed, critical agents in memory politics through three levels of tangible outcomes. At the cognitive and analytical level, participants will gain the ability to critically deconstruct the political narratives embedded in existing memorial sites—learning to identify whose stories are told, whose are silenced, and what political goals these narratives serve—while developing a nuanced understanding of how memorials can be instrumentalised to exacerbate social divisions or foster conditions for mass violence, and how to distinguish between superficial "dark tourism" and meaningful reflective engagement. At the practical and strategic level, participants will co-develop ethical guidelines for memorial design and management, learn facilitation techniques for managing difficult dialogues around contested history, and acquire strategies to counter the politicised misuse of memorials—equipping them with concrete tools to create or advocate for memorials that heal rather than divide. At the network and advocacy level, the workshop will establish a cross-sectoral network of policymakers, curators, educators, and NGO workers committed to responsible memory politics, while generating context-specific project ideas and advocacy campaigns, thereby creating a resilient ecosystem of practitioners who can collectively guard historical truth, promote reconciliation, and defend democratic freedom against manipulative narratives.
Language: Kurdish (Kurmanji and Sorani) and English
Participation: This workshop is open to all, though it is specifically designed for the participation of artists, academics, researchers, and NGO workers working on memorial sites.
Capacity: 20 people