The Politics of Acknowledgement

Human rights violations leave deep scars on people, societies, and nations. Rights groups argue that resolving past violence is necessary for a peaceful future. But how can nations ensure that instruments of transitional justice are the best path to reconciliation? This book develops a theoretical framework a framework of acknowledgement to evaluate truth commissions. Analysis of the difficulties encountered and the ultimate failure of truth commissions in Uganda and Haiti reveals that acknowledgement of past violence by both victims and perpetrators must come before goals such as forgiveness and social cohesion if reconciliation is to be achieved.