GIGA Doctoral Student Wins Junior Researcher Prize

Dr. Elisabeth Bunselmeyer completed her doctorate at the GIGA between 2013 and 2017. Her dissertation, entitled “Trust Repaired? The Impact of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Reparation Program on Social Cohesion in Post-Conflict Communities of Peru,” has now been awarded the 2019 Christiane Rajewsky Prize from the German Association for Peace and Conflict Studies.

In her dissertation, Elisabeth Bunselmeyer examines how reconciliation processes impact social cohesion in post-conflict societies. Using the example of Peru, she shows that the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission as well as the reparations programme for those affected by the 20-year internal armed conflict were not able to meet the goals established. The study’s results contribute to a better understanding of post-conflict societies and transitional justice mechanisms.

Each year, the German Association for Peace and Conflict Studies awards the junior researcher prize to young scholars or initiatives that have made an exceptional contribution to peace and conflict research. The prize is dedicated to the memory of peace researcher Prof. Christiane Rajewsky.

Elisabeth Bunselmeyer is an associate of the GIGA Institute for Latin American Studies and a graduate of the GIGA Doctoral Programme.