Narrative Hospitality
Exchanging Memories
Abstract
This article argues that exchanging memories can foster peace by allowing individuals and communities to share and reinterpret their histories. The author outlines the concept of narrative hospitality, understood as the capacity to welcome the memories of others. Narrative hospitality manifests in three ways. First, narrative plurality highlights the possibility of recounting the past in diverse ways. Second, narrative transformation shows how storytelling can alter the person who receives it. Third, narrative forgiveness refers to the story’s capacity to heal past wounds. The article concludes with examples of individuals from communities long divided by conflict who have reconciled with their enemies through the practice of narrative hospitality.
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References
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