KAAD Seminar: “Breaking the Walls of Violence – The Many Faces of Violence”

The seminar, which took place from April 7 to 10, 2026, at the “Die Wolfsburg” Academy in Mülheim, examined these aspects from various perspectives. Under the guidance of Dr. Mirjam Rossa, twelve current and former KAAD grantees, as well as a Cusanuswerk scholarship recipient, worked together on different approaches to the topic of violence.

The starting point was a positioning exercise in which participants used specific statements to share their own experiences and perceptions of violence. Statements regarding fear, discrimination, political oppression, or violence in family contexts led to different placements within the room. The focus was on violence both as a single event and as experiences that manifest over extended periods in personal histories and within social and political contexts.

Shared communication guidelines formed the basis for the subsequent work. They specifically addressed how to handle diverse experiences and perspectives and included respectful dialogue, respect for personal boundaries, and sensitive language use. Participants reflected on how to address discriminatory or hurtful language, while at the same time emphasizing the importance of allowing for and taking different viewpoints seriously. Particularly when dealing with personal experiences of violence, the focus was on creating a space where participants could share their stories without fear of judgment or pressure to justify themselves.

The session on the political and state dimensions of violence began with a presentation by Dr. Kristine Andra Avram from the Center for Conflict Research at the University of Marburg. In the ensuing discussion, violence was examined in the context of political systems and state structures. Violence emerged as a long-term phenomenon embedded in historical and political contexts, occurring to varying degrees in different settings and affecting various social groups.

With presentations by Sr. Dr. med. Ruth Rottbeck from the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics at Alexianer St. Joseph Hospital in Berlin and KAADscholar Adriana Lamboglia, a doctoral candidate in Caritas Studies at the University of Freiburg, the focus shifted to experiences of violence in interpersonal relationships and their psychological consequences. Ruth Rottbeck drew on examples from clinical practice and spoke about forms of violence that are not immediately visible but manifest themselves in long-term stress, anxiety, or the consequences of trauma. Adriana Lamboglia built on this, relating these issues to social and family structures in which violence often arises within relationships of dependency and remains effective over extended periods. A guided group exercise addressed these themes and incorporated the participants’ own experiences. The focus was on coping with stress as well as issues of processing and accessing support. As

the discussion on violence progressed, the focus shifted to the question of how violence is addressed in different social contexts. KAAD scholar Juan Camilo Pulido Riveros presented the Colombian reconciliation processes under the title “Whose Truth Counts? Epistemic Struggles in Colombia’s Transitional Justice Process,” presented the Colombian processes of coming to terms with the past. The central question was who determines, in these proceedings, what constitutes violence, truth, and justice. The Truth Commission and the Special Jurisdiction for Peace not only address violence but also decide which experiences are recognized and incorporated into processes of social reconciliation.

Joining digitally was KAADalumna Dr. Locardia Shayamunda from Zimbabwe, who reported on her work in the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace under the title “Threat and Courage.” She addressed the conditions under which peace work takes place and discussed how to deal with violence in the tension between risk and scope for action.
Following this, KAADscholar Samuel Yao Mayeden from Ghana, who is pursuing his doctorate in Global Health at Heidelberg University, turned his attention to health systems in the context of structural violence. The starting point of his presentation was the question of under what conditions diseases can be treated and when care is lacking. Using two case studies—an acute snakebite injury and the chronic condition elephantiasis—he demonstrated that while both are fundamentally treatable, their outcomes differ significantly under unequal care conditions. While one case requires immediate medical intervention, the other necessitates continuous care. In both situations, however, the outcome depends largely on whether treatment is available in a timely manner. The focus was thus less on the diseases themselves than on the structures within which they are treated. Delayed access to medical care, a lack of medications, and inadequate follow-up care determine the course of the disease just as much as the diagnosis and point to structural conditions that shape health systems. 

The session concluded with a presentation by KAAD alumna Lilit Poghosyan from Armenia, a staff member at Mission EineWelt Nuremberg. Under the title “On Reconciliation and Failure: Conflict Resolution Put to the Test,” she explored the conditions under which reconciliation processes succeed or reach their limits.

The concluding discussions focused on the limits and possibilities of dealing with violence. Among other things, the discussion addressed the question of under what conditions dialogical processes such as mediation reach their limits, particularly in the presence of existing power asymmetries. It was also noted that violence continues to have an impact even in peace processes and that questions of truth, justice, and recognition remain unresolved.

Spiritual guidance provided by Fr. Prof. Dr. Ulrich Engel, OP, and Sr. Dr. med. Ruth Rottbeck was firmly integrated into the program. Morning prayers, the preparation and celebration of the Mass, as well as recurring opportunities for conversation within a format designated as a “safe space” accompanied the substantive work. Participants had multiple opportunities for personal conversations in a protected setting.

An excursion to Villa Hügel in Essen provided insight into the industrial history of the Ruhr region and opened up further perspectives on issues of economic power, social development, and the historical conditions of inequality.

In the concluding reflection, the themes that had shaped the seminar were revisited. These included political violence and state repression, experiences of violence in personal relationships, and concrete questions regarding how to address violence in various contexts. Violence was described as structurally embedded, as effective in individual life realities, and as a challenge requiring diverse approaches, ranging from political analysis to concrete on-the-ground practice.

At the end of the seminar, Fr. Ulrich offered a blessing for the journey. He took up the experiences of the past days and gave them a place: not as a conclusion, but as a starting point for what will continue to accompany the participants