Reconciliation and Its Social and Political Dimensions

National reconciliation, while undoubtedly a means to reduce psychological distance and alienation, can be criticized for ignoring basic concerns with justice. Rather than downplayed or smoothed over with political rhetoric, deep structural divisions in post-conflict societies need to be considered...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International politics (Hague, Netherlands) Netherlands), 2002-09, Vol.39 (3), p.329-339
Main Authors: Jeong, Ho-Won, Lerche, Charles
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alienation
Civil war
Conflict Resolution
Development Studies
Foreign Policy
Institutions
Intergroup Relations
International Political Economy
International Relations
Justice
Mediation
Nation building
National identity
Political Development
Political Science
Political Science and International Relations
Political Science and International Studies
Political Violence
Reconciliation
Reconstruction
Social Justice
War crimes
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Summary:National reconciliation, while undoubtedly a means to reduce psychological distance and alienation, can be criticized for ignoring basic concerns with justice. Rather than downplayed or smoothed over with political rhetoric, deep structural divisions in post-conflict societies need to be considered in the search for new social identity, meaning, and values. We argue that there can be no “quick fixes” in post-conflict societies and that, to be truly salutary, reconciliation should contribute to the emergence of institutions capable of creatively processing the kind of social tensions that led to past violent conflict.
ISSN:1384-5748
1740-3898
DOI:10.1057/palgrave.ip.8897456