RESUMEN

Collective victimhood and collective resilience are two sides of the same coin. However, most literature to date has focused on the experiences and consequences of collective victimhood. In the present research, we focused on the experiences of Black Americans, a group that has a legacy of victimization and resilience. As a part of Black Americans' collective memory, we explored the nature of historical collective resilience and examined its role in explaining collective responses to present-day oppression, over and above any effect of historical collective victimhood. When they were asked to reflect on their group's history, across Studies 1 (N = 272) and 2 (N = 294), we found that Black Americans generated narratives of collective resilience. In both studies, we also found evidence that perceived historical collective resilience was linked to a greater sense of collective continuity, which, in turn, explained greater support for the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement. Our findings underscore the importance of considering narratives of resilience in a group's history and point to the way such collective resilience narratives can serve as a resource for the group in the present.

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RESUMEN

Resumen En el proceso de construcción de las representaciones sociales de hechos histórico (RSHH) construidas por ciudadanos del común del Valle de Aburrá (Colombia) se pudo evidenciar como a partir de valencias de poder, desde élites dominantes que hacen uso de la retórica política, los medios de comunicación y la educación básica, se producen y reproducen versiones estereotipadas de la historia. Se posiciona así una memoria hegemónica que se reproduce y desde la cual se prefabrican actores como única causa de la violencia y se exculpan otros actores que incluyen a las mismas élites, políticos y al Estado, quienes se auto determinan como víctimas y no como actores del conflicto armado en Colombia. Así, estas RSHH terminas configurando y objetivando un enemigo absoluto con el cuál es imposible una negociación política, que se traduce en una barrera para la construcción de la paz y la reconciliación en Colombia.

Abstract In the process of construction of social representations of historical facts (RSHH) built by ordinary citizens of Aburrá Valley, Colombia, it was possible to show how from power valences, from dominant elites that make use of political rhetoric, the media, and basic education, stereotyped versions of history are produced and reproduced. In this way, a hegemonic memory is reproduced and from which actors are prefabricated as the only cause of violence and other actors are exculpated, by including the same elites, politicians, and the State, who determine themselves as victims and not as actors of the armed conflict in Colombia. Thus, these RSHH end up configuring and objectifying an absolute enemy with whom political negotiation is impossible, which translates into a barrier for the construction of peace and reconciliation in Colombia.