“The Climax of Reconciliation”: Transgression, Apology, Forgiveness and the Body in Conflict Resolution (original) (raw)

2011, Journal of Bioethical Inquiry

According to Charles Hauss, "[i]n the last few years, reconciliation has become one of the 'hottest' topics in the increasingly 'hot' field of conflict resolution" (2003, ¶1). However, despite the apparent interest in this "hot" academic topic (which is becoming increasingly warm in Canada as our own Truth and Reconciliation Commission commences), reconciliation studies have been dominated by Truth-based approaches. The restrictions of these approaches, which emphasize objectivity and rationality, often elide the body and the primacy of emotions in the reparative process. This essay begins a conversation on the role of the body and emotion in the study of reconciliation by engaging the work being done in the social sciences with contemporary trends in critical theory and literature. I argue that by looking at the fundamental role the body plays on the "road to reconciliation" we can devise a more vital approach to conflict resolution and the various processes that make it up.

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