South Africa’s TRC traded amnesty for truth, not remorse or atonement

Evidence

Indeed, the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission may be said to have created space for the transition, established a narrative of guilt to which the perpetrators subscribed, but really let the apartheid regime off the hook without leading to any significant redistribution of resources or any greater equality. It was more successful as a social psychological process than as a legal exercise. Tutu’s forgiveness becomes acknowledgment by the victims that they understand that the perpetrators ask and need their forgiveness. The amnesty requests were legitimized at the group level, though obviously too few ever applied for amnesty to actually be representative of a wide movement in the country. Just as collective guilt does not mean actual individual guilt, forgiveness does not mean the perpetrators have asked for it as a group. The appeal for amnesty did not require remorse or atonement, only the telling of truth. Amnesty in this case was not for regret, but in return for helping build a group admission of its guilt. The few individuals who did ask for amnesty became representatives of the group and a tool of reconciliation. — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 2091

Categorization

• XREF: Sharpens the mechanics behind the ch13 finding that apologies need shared ground by showing how group-level representation works without individual repentance. — connects to: Few amnesty seekers satisfied the TRC’s full-confession requirement — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race: Reflections on…, 1575; The TRC’s individual-level apologies left apartheid’s architects unpunished and victims uncompensated — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race: Reflections on…, 1576; Only 12 percent of amnesty requests to the TRC were granted

Broader Connections

• The TRC’s individual-level apologies left apartheid’s architects unpunished and victims uncompensated #expands (0.85) — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race, 1576
• Few amnesty seekers satisfied the TRC’s full-confession requirement #qualifies (0.82) — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race, 1575
• Only 12 percent of amnesty requests to the TRC were granted #corroborates (0.75)