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Forgiveness

The act of forgiving is never an easy task. To do so at the collective level is arguably far more difficult. As the late 20th century witnessed the so-called memory turn on a global scale, official apologies have been considered as one of the most promising strategies for postconflict resolution. In this context, also problematized is the issue of political forgiveness in memory politics, which has recently been taking on a growing importance theoretically as well as empirically.

Retributive Versus Restorative Justice Approaches

In the context of postconflict resolution, the literature largely suggests two different approaches to the issue of forgiveness. First, the retributive justice approach stresses the importance of legal accountability and postulates that those who committed crimes must be prosecuted and punished. Through the prosecution ...

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