Haunted by the Past

Catalog description

War apologies abound. Since the end of the Cold War, what we have been witnessing is a world-wide surge in memory. We are living in the era where collective apologies have become more and more common, and, as in Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka, to reconcile with the past has become critical part of contemporary politics of memory and regret. More concretely, this course will explore the following questions: Can a state apologize? Can the current generations apologize for the past wrongs and /or feel responsible? Or, should they? How do individuals articulate the link between identification with the state (and national pride) and sense of individual responsibility? How do individuals get their information about past wrongs? How much confidence do they have in the various sources (textbooks, mass media, internet, friends and family, etc.) at their disposal? Is reconciliation possible? Can memories go beyond national borders? Can it be something universal? The course will start with the introduction and examination of the role of history and memory in the (re-) formation of communal identity and explores for the possibility of communal reconciliation with past wrongs. Along with the examination of conceptual frameworks such as engagement and denial/avoidance, the ethical dimensions of political reconciliation will be discussed in terms of (1) retributive justice and (2) restorative justice.