Politics of Past Evil, The: Religion, Reconciliation, and the Dilemmas of Transitional Justice (From the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International ... ... on Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding)

A formidable number of societies all over the world have sought to confront past evil. This volume features a conversation about reconciliation whose common denominator is theology. Theologians, philosophers, and political scientists explore the meaning of reconciliation for the politics of transition.

"A great strength of this timely volume is its combination of a theological and philosophical accounting of reconciliation, with an empirically driven appreciation for how such reconciliation practices work out in the world of politics. Bringing together the insights of disparate disciplines on most any topic is always admirable, but more important in this case is that the topic under consideration in this book—reconciliation—demands such an interdisciplinary perspective. As such, it is likely to generate a good deal of interest in political science, history, sociology, philosophy, religious studies, and theology." —J. Christopher Soper, Pepperdine University

 

"Sentimentality threatens and undermines the work of reconciliation. So thank God we have this book of extraordinary essays on reconciliation and forgiveness. These essays show at once the hard yet crucial work that is reconciliation. Moreover, it is not work that simply takes place between people, but as these essays show, it can be the heart of politics. Indeed, these essays demonstrate that reconciliation is a politic that we cannot live without. The philosophical, theological, and political sophistication of these essays will make this book the book of record on issues of reconciliation and forgiveness." —Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke Divinity School

 

What place does reconciliation have in the politics of transitions? What are the warrants for it? In this important new volume, Alan J. Torrance, David B. Burrell, C.S.C., Nicholas Wolterstorff, and Daniel Philpott draw on theology for their theoretical perspectives in answering these questions; A. James McAdams, Mark R. Amstutz, and Ronald A. Wells chart the path of reconciliation in Germany, Argentina, South Africa, and Northern Ireland. R. Scott Appleby offers a concluding essay. Their insights will interest a wide variety of readers, both scholars and generalists, both with and without theological commitments.  

Over the past two or three decades, all over the world, a formidable number of societies have sought to confront past evilthe injustices of communism, military dictatorship, apartheid, or civil war. Emergent is the concept of reconciliation, whose meaning philosophers and social scientists now debate in the context of political transitions in countries as diverse as South Africa, East Timor, Guatemala, and the Czech Republic. Most of these debates, though, share a secularism that is at variance with the beliefs of many of the participants in these transitions. What unfolds in this volume, in contrast, is a conversation about reconciliation whose common denominator is theology. Theologians, philosophers, and political scientists explore the meaning of reconciliation for the politics of transition. Alan Torrance, David Burrell, C.S.C., Nicholas Wolterstorff, and Daniel Philpott draw on theology for their theoretical perspectives; A. James McAdams, Mark Amstutz, and Ronald Wells chart the path of reconciliation in Germany, Argentina, South Africa, and Northern Ireland. Scott Appleby offers a concluding essay. Their insights will interest a wide variety of readers, both scholars and generalists, both with and without theological commitments. Beyond politics as usual : is reconciliation compatible with liberalism? / Daniel Philpott -- The theological grounds for advocating forgiveness and reconciliation in the sociopolitical realm / Alan J. Torrance -- The place of forgiveness in the actions of the state / Nicholas Wolterstorff -- Interfaith perspectives on reconciliation / David B. Burrell -- The double demands of reconciliation : the case of unified Germany / A. James McAdams -- Restorative justice, political forgiveness, and the possibility of political reconciliation / Mark R. Amstutz -- Northern Ireland : a study of friendship, forgiveness, and reconciliation / Ronald A. Wells -- Conclusion : reconciliation and realism / R. Scott Appleby. Edited By Daniel Philpott. From The Joan B. Kroc Institute For International Peace Studies And The Erasmus Institute. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.