Reconciliation discourse : the case of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission / Annelies Verdoolaege.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Verdoolaege, Annelies.

Series:

Discourse approaches to politics, society, and culture ; v. 27.

Discourse approaches to politics, society and culture ; v. 27

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Reconciliation--Political aspects--South Africa.

Reconciliation.

Reconciliation--Social aspects--South Africa.

Discourse analysis--Political aspects--South Africa.

Discourse analysis.

South Africa. Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

South Africa.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (253 p.)

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia, Pa. : John Benjamins Pub. Co., 2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Prelim pages

Table of contents

Preface

Acronyms

1. Introduction

2. The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission

3. The TRC Archive

4. The sample

5. Layering and HRV discourse: A critical perspective

6. Reconciliation discourse, truth and society

7. Exercising power through discourse

8. Towards a conclusion

References

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612152276

9781282152274

1282152270

9789027291615

9027291616

OCLC:

608622258