Research with survivors of political violence in Latin America have shown that any analysis of the consequences of war or political repression should take into account the social and political realities in which the survivors are immersed. It has also shown that research must go hand in hand with action, intervention and psychosocial support for communities that confront violence. In this article, the authors review some of the basic principles that should guide research and action within the context of war or other political violence.

This book addresses the source of societal tensions and violent conflict in contemporary Europe, involving people from minority groups of Muslim culture. Six country case studies – on Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Russia and the United Kingdom – give a comprehensive account of Islam-related tensions and violence, from the jihadist terrorist acts seen in Europe in the aftermath of 9/11 in the US, through to the urban riots of the type seen in France in 2005. These events are analysed with a common typology together with detailed accounts of the social context in each country.

Throughout history,warriors have been confronted with moral and ethical challenges and modern unconventional and guerilla wars amplify these challenges. Potentially morally injurious events, such as perpetrating, failing to prevent, or bearing witness to acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectationsmay be deleterious in the long-term, emotionally, psychologically, behaviorally, spiritually, and socially (what we label as moral injury).

Introduction

“Camp is not so much a place as a condition. “I’ve had camp,” he says. That makes him different from us. We’ve had chicken pox and German measles. And after Simon fell out of a tree, he got concussion and he had to stay in bed for weeks. But we never had camp.“

- Nightfather, Carl Friedman; novel about a man’s experiences in the Nazi concentration camps as seen through the eyes of his children -