Reconciliation Discourse
The case of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
- Author(s): Annelies Verdoolaege 1
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View Affiliations Hide AffiliationsAffiliations:1 Ghent University
- Format: PDF
- Publication Date February 2008
- e-Book ISBN: 9789027291615
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.27
This volume is a research monograph analysing the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) from an ethnographic/linguistic point of view. The central proposition of this book is that the TRC can be regarded as a mechanism that leads to the hegemony of specific discourses, thus excercising power. The analysis illustrates how, through a certain type of reconciliation discourse constructed at the TRC hearings, a reconciliation-oriented reality took shape in post-TRC South Africa. Basically, the study points to the long-term implications a truth commission can exert on a traumatised post-conflict society. The book is unique on several levels: TRC discourse is explored in-depth on the basis of personal stories from TRC testifiers; a combination of Poststructuralist and Critical Discourse Analysis approaches form the theoretical foundations; and an extensive bibliography provides an impressive database of TRC publications.
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