Overcoming Apartheid: Can Truth Reconcile a Divided Nation?

In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Band 603, S. 82-110

Abstract

Throughout the world, truth commissions are being constructed under the hope that discovering the "truth" about a country's conflictual past will somehow contribute to "reconciliation." Most such efforts point to South Africa's process as an exemplar of the powerful influence of truth finding. But has truth actually contributed to reconciliation in South Africa? No rigorous & systematic assessment of the truth & reconciliation process has ever been conducted. This article investigates the hypothesis that truth leads to reconciliation. Based on a survey of thirty-seven hundred South Africans in 2001, the author begins by giving both "truth" & "reconciliation" clear conceptual & operational meaning. The author reports empirical evidence that the Truth & Reconciliation Commission's "truth" is fairly widely accepted by South Africans of all races, that some degree of reconciliation characterizes South Africa today, & that the collective memory produced by the process ("truth") did indeed contribute to reconciliation. The author then considers whether other divided countries might be able to use a similar process to propel themselves toward a more peaceful & democratic future. Tables, Figures, Appendixes, References. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Inc., copyright 2006 The American Academy of Political and Social Science.]