Forgiving, Healing, or Simply Forgetting?
Forgiving, Healing, or Simply Forgetting?

The Many Faces of “Reconciliation’ in Political Transitions

Summary/Abstract: Vagueness is a characteristic feature of “reconciliation” in the discourse on transition. While “reconciliation” has been a central term in numerous transitions over the last 30 years, its interpretations and implementations varied profoundly across the cases. This article explores comparatively the reconciliation policies pursued in the transition processes of Spain, Chile, South Africa, and Sierra Leone. It argues that the dominant interpretations and political implementations of “reconciliation” can be understood as the products of the particular framing conditions set by the transitional context in each case. It concludes that vagueness might actually be the central contribution “reconciliation” makes to political transitions. It turns “reconciliation” into a flexible and interpretable discursive device which can be embraced by politicians and society and adjusted to the requirements of the particular transitional situation.

• Details
• Contents