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Article: Reconciling South Africa or South Africans? Cautionary notes from the TRC.(South Africa. Truth and Reconciliation Commission)
- Article from:
- African Studies Quarterly
- Article date:
- September 22, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Center for African Studies. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Abstract: This article argues that the question "Are South Africans reconciled?" is meaningless unless the sense in which the questioner is using the word reconciliation is made clear. Such questions do not get us far in understanding the truth and reconciliation commission (TRC) as one's interpretation of the term "reconciliation" will necessarily influence one's evaluation of the TRC's work. It argues that the linking of success with reconciliation, in any case, is problematic for two reasons: first, many people tend to confuse "aspiration with empiricism," and, second, the conflation of truth with reconciliation obscures the many contributions, besides reconciliation, ...