Ignacio Ellacuría’s Thoughts on Historical Processes of Political Reconciliation. An Analysis of Seven Concepts: Conflict, Violence, Cause, Dialogue, Pacification, Peace and Reconciliation

Abstract

Ignacio Ellacuría, a Jesuit philosopher and theologian, arrived at El Salvador, CentralAmerica, in 1967, during a period of enormous political and social turmoil that extended through the70’s and 80’s. Ellacuría, who acted as president of UCA from 1979 until his assassination in 1989, decided to orient the University’s and his own intellectual pursuit towards obtaining a deeper understanding of the about mentioned historical process. This article analyzes his contributions regarding the possibility of undertaking a peace process and a negotiation amidst an armed conflict. Ellacuría’s contributions, beyond the political analysis they entail, constitute a magnificent corpus of political philosophy regarding the issue of reconciliation. We analyze his discourse through seven key concepts with which the process that leads from «structural violence» to «true peace» is dynamically developed, i.e.: conflict, violence, cause, dialogue, pacification, peace and reconciliation.