“Haunting Memories”: Collective Trauma and Post-Conflict Reconciliation in Poso

Abstract

English

The Poso conflict has left a profound collective memory among communities in the affected villages, including Bancea (Padamarari). While previous studies have examined the dynamics of violence and peacebuilding in Poso, there remains a limited anthropological understanding of how social memory is constructed, transmitted, negotiated, and mobilized by local communities in their post-conflict everyday life. This study aims to explore how traumatic experiences and lived memories of the conflict are reconstructed by different social groups, and how these memories shape reconciliation practices, intergroup relations, and long-term social stability. This research employs a qualitative anthropological approach involving twelve key informants, including customary leaders, women survivors, youth, and village officials. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and field documentation over one month of fieldwork. Thematic analysis was applied to identify memory patterns, meaning-making processes, and the social mechanisms that underpin the reproduction of collective memory. The findings reveal three main insights. First, the memory of violence remains deeply embedded in villagers’ narratives and forms part of the community’s collective identity. Second, “strategic forgetting” emerges as an adaptive strategy used by community members to maintain social harmony and avoid renewed tensions. Third, the cultural value of Sintuwu Maroso serves as a key reconciliation mechanism, enabling trust-building across groups and facilitating the restoration of social cohesion. This study contributes to the broader literature on memory and post-conflict anthropology in Indonesia by demonstrating that collective memory functions not only as a historical burden but also as a social resource for strengthening community-based reconciliation.

Bahasa Indonesia

Latar belakang. Konflik sosial di Poso meninggalkan jejak mendalam dalam ingatan kolektif masyarakat. Tujuan. Karenanya Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memahami bagaimana memori kolektif tersebut terbentuk, diwariskan, dan berkontribusi terhadap dinamika sosial pasca-konflik. Metode. Dengan menggunakan pendekatan antropologi memori, proses pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan observasi, wawancara mendalam dan studi literatur. Penelitian ini mengeksplorasi pengalaman individu dan komunitas dalam mengelola trauma, membangun rekonsiliasi, serta mempertahankan harmoni sosial. Hasil. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa ingatan kolektif memiliki peran yang kompleks dalam membentuk hubungan sosial di Desa Bancea. Trauma dan ketidakpercayaan masih terasa di beberapa aspek kehidupan masyarakat, tetapi nilai-nilai lokal seperti Sintuwu Maroso telah menjadi instrumen utama dalam memperkuat kembali solidaritas antar kelompok. Meskipun ada kecenderungan untuk melupakan demi menjaga stabilitas, sebagian masyarakat tetap melihat pentingnya mengingat agar tragedi serupa tidak terulang. Penelitian ini menyoroti pentingnya pendekatan berbasis komunitas dalam rekonsiliasi pasca-konflik serta perlunya kebijakan yang berorientasi pada pemulihan sosial dan ekonomi. Studi ini memberikan wawasan tentang bagaimana masyarakat yang mengalami konflik dapat membangun kembali kehidupan mereka melalui kombinasi memori, budaya, dan rekonsiliasi.

Keywords

• Collective trauma
• Post-conflict reconciliation
• Collective memory
• Peacebuilding
• Communal conflict