18th Symposium on the Contributions of Psychology to Peace Forms of Solidarity 27 August - 1 September 2023 | Pécs, Hungary
The world is facing a strong economic crisis with increasing inequalities between and within regions. The COVID-19 pandemic incremented the fragmentation of societies and the war in the Ukraine reverberates in economic power shifts on geopolitical scales, whilst the ecological crisis has only begun to show its effects. Disengagement in public life and civic activities is ever present and there has been a substantial rise of populism and a shift towards authoritarianism that offers simple answers, clear identities and common enemies that satisfy the psychological need for certainty and security. Different forms of solidarity and collective participation can help strengthen communities and support them as they face existing and impending challenges to satisfy their basic needs.
In this process, the responsibility of the researchers in the humanities and social sciences becomes imminent. Their involvement in both knowledge production and proactive empowerment of communities, as well as in opening up and engaging with professionals working in the field, allows a reflection on different needs and viewpoints for social change. Their understanding of the psychological motivations and processes behind participation helps them assess the consequences of different aspirations to facilitate dialogue and actions that foster peaceful coexistence,
Symposium Themes
Solidarity in action
Civic engagement and participation in multicultural societies
Migration and refugees, including emergency, first reception and second generations
Social construction and deconstruction
Research and interventions on communities, forms of empowerment
Psychological aspects of participation and collective voice
Dehumanization and victimization
Cognitive alternatives and alternative actions
Trauma and intergenerational transmission of it
Environmental transformations
Resilience and human rights
ICTs and media construction of peace/war culture, fear politics, intergroup conflicts
Peace-building programs
Symposium Questions
The symposium will answer key questions relating to the contributions of psychology to peace, with a focus on activism, solidarity and empowerment in local and global contexts, including:
How the action of solidarity is related to forms of relating and power positions?
What are the psychological conditions of activism? Why do people engage in activism?
How can prosocial behaviour, civic engagement and participation in multicultural societies be strengthened?
What are the main drivers of violence and discrimination? How do we address them at different levels?
How can we construct inclusive and open societies and communities?
What is the role played by shared traumas, memories, intergenerational narrations, and old and new media?
What are the experiences of refugees and how do their narratives change over time?
What are the main psychosocial issues that need to be addressed before, during and after the migration journey? What are the challenges of the second generation?
What local and global transformations are having the most significant impacts on individuals and their well-being? How can they be leveraged through empowerment and agency?
How can communities and societies improve their resilience, capabilities and activities?
How do these approaches fit into an ecological model? How can constructing a solidarity economy have a role in facing the ecological crisis and the crisis of capitalism?