Overcoming apartheid: can truth reconcile a divided nation?

Abstract

With the work of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission complete, James L. Gibson sets out to test one of its key premises, namely, that truth can facilitate reconciliation and help a nation both to deal with its painful past and to move on to a more democratic future. Drawing on one of the largest and most comprehensive surveys of post-apartheid attitudes to date, and employing innovative conceptual and methodological tools, Gibson's sophisticated and subtle analysis offers both encouraging and disheartening insights into the success of the truth and reconciliation process, and provides clear signposts for those involved in taking it further. This is a groundbreaking work of social science research and a major contribution to the literature on transitional justice and conflict resolution.