Apologies and the Past

This proposed stream fits squarely within the socio-legal sphere. It is not possible to discuss apologies and past abuses without exploring how such processes interact with law and in particular, how apologies are shaped by legal considerations of criminal and civil liability. 

 

At a conceptual level, the notion of apology is theorised across diverse fields (eg law, sociology, political science, social psychology, history etc;) and almost always focused on the state. We are particularly (though by no means exclusively) interested in papers that consider the views of apologisers, victims or the general public. We are interested in papers which focus on both state and non-state entities (e.g. armed groups, corporations or religious orders).

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This broad stream welcomes papers which analyse the relationship between: apologies and the law; apologies and accountability; apologies, acknowledgment and truth; apologies, timing, choreography and performance; apologies, legitimacy and audience; apologies and victims; apologies and leadership; apologies, reconciliation and follow-through; and apologies and identity (e.g. gender, religion, national identity) or other theoretically and materially interesting elements of apologies. 

 

We welcome papers drawing on national, European or international case-studies, as well as detailed analyses of the norms which influence the crafting, interpretation, reception or performance of apologies. Attempts to situate the role of apologies and statements of acknowledgement within the broader rubric of transitional justice (including reference to truth recovery, amnesties, reparations and other forms of acknowledgement) are also welcome.

 

Conveners

Dr Anna Bryson (a.bryson@qub.ac.uk); Professor Kieran McEvoy (k.mcevoy@qub.ac.uk); Professor Anne-Marie McAlinden (a.mcalinden@qub.ac.uk).