Abstract
Can state apologies help reconciliation between former coloniser and colonised? Much of the literature on political apologies is optimistic regarding their potential to aid reconciliation. Even critical work frequently dispraises particular case studies, while maintaining a normative commitment to apology. Building on a growing postcolonial literature on the subject, this article contributes a more fundamental critique of colonial apology. It argues that its inherent structure entails a format that accords the politician of the transgressor state an elevated speaking position. This results in the ritual being predisposed to problematic representations of the colonised and sanitised narratives of the transgression. The argument is situated within Edward Said’s considerations on representation in the colonial process.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 399-417 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Third World Quarterly |
Volume | 39 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 29 Nov 2017 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2018 |
Bibliographical note
AcknowledgementsI would like to thank Gearoid Millar and the anonymous referees for their comments on this article.
Keywords
- political apologies
- voice
- colonialism
- Comfort Women
- narrative
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Thomas Bentley
- Social Science, Politics - Senior Lecturer
- Social Science, Politics and International Relations
Person: Academic