Sara’s research, The Aesthetics of Reconciliation, explores new ways to understand and approach reconciliation in post-conflict societies. Using Northern Kosovo’s Mitrovica city as a case study—where Serbs and Albanians live on opposite sides of the Ibar River—Sara examines how the city’s narrative is shaped and reshaped. Her work critiques traditional reconciliation approaches that impose Western frameworks on local youth, instead focusing on storytelling as an active agent in peace-building.
Through interviews with activists, youth, and diplomats, and a unique methodology of comparative storytelling, Sara uses tools like cognitive and embodied mapping to highlight how local knowledge and lived experiences can redefine reconciliation.
Sara’s research offers practical, actionable recommendations aimed at fostering reconciliation and long-term peace in divided societies like Mitrovica, Kosovo. Sara’s policy recommendations provide a clear roadmap for integrating the insights of her research into peace-building efforts. They prioritise inclusion, cultural identity, and grassroots participation to ensure that local voices are central to urban regeneration and conflict resolution. The recommendations address key challenges in Mitrovica, offering strategies to transform public spaces, amplify marginalised voices, and promote youth engagement as catalysts for social cohesion.
Her recommendations focus on:
- Inclusion of locals in urban regeneration projects
- Resignification of public spaces
- Increase the visibility of marginalised voices
- Ensure youth-focused career development
- Inverting in leisure and cultural initiatives
- Developing new vocabularies for conflict resolution
- Promoting cultural identity through kinship-based governance
These recommendations provide a roadmap for fostering reconciliation and long-term peace in Mitrovica by prioritising inclusion, cultural identity, and grassroots participation.
Read Sara’s research paper: Aesthetics of reconciliation
Sara Pereda completed her research within the ICO Research Fellowship programme. While the research reflects her personal insights and academic expertise, the views and recommendations expressed do not necessarily represent the official positions or policies of ICO. While these insights are her own, they offer valuable contributions to ongoing dialogue about sustainable reconciliation.
