The empathy engine: engineering productive permeability for contested history pedagogy

The paper articulates the internal logic of this engine through a Five-Stage Empathy Development Mechanism: Structural Encoding, Agentive Enactment, Procedural Learning, Affective Resonance, and Affective Historicity. Together, these stages provide a reproducible pathway for generating procedural empathy. Grounded in trauma-informed pedagogy and victim-centred design, the framework offers a transferable methodology applicable to diverse global conflicts, including those in Colombia, Rwanda, and the Balkans. Ultimately, the Empathy Engine provides a robust pedagogical tool for engaging with difficult histories by integrating cognitive rigour with affective engagement.