Seminar on Disappearance Studies and the Launch of Re-(E)MBody

On 11 September 2024, the research team of the Re-(E)MBody project organized a seminar at the Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI) to explore the emerging field of disappearance studies. The event was held in honor of Professor Roddy Brett, a distinguished Professor in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Bristol who was at that time visiting Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI).

During the seminar, Professor Brett introduced the new Journal of Disappearance Studies and highlighted various events organized by the Living with Disappearance network. This was followed by the launch and presentation of our new Research Council of Finland project, titled “Embodied Reconciliation: Rethinking Post-Conflict Reconciliation through Missing Bodies” (2024-2028).

The Principal Investigator of the project, Élise Féron, provided an overview of the project’s background, case studies, and objectives. Anush Petrosyan then presented a detailed case study on the situation of missing persons in the South Caucasus, focusing on the Armenian–Azerbaijani conflict from the 1990s to the present day. She outlined her research plan, methodologies, and future directions.

To conclude, Élise Féron gave an in-depth presentation on the missing persons of the Western Front during the First World War.

The seminar concluded with an intensive Q&A session, where numerous colleagues from Tampere University engaged in a lively discussion, offering both challenges and encouragement for the research project and the advancements in the field of disappearance studies.