Guest editorial: Chasing truth and (Re)Conciliation: navigating contexts, tensions and consequences

• Date: 10 September 2024
• Pages: 1001-1006
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-08-2024-430
• Published date: 10 September 2024
• Author: Rick Colbourne,Ana Maria Peredo

Guest editorial: Chasing truth and

(Re)Conciliation: navigating

contexts, tensions

and consequences

Since the 1970s, many governments have been forced to address the demands of thousands of

victims of historical systemic violence. Commissions in search of the truth and considering

means of reconciliation were established in many countries, including Argentina, Uganda,

Chile, El Salvador, South Africa, Guatemala, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Bosnia, Yugoslavia,

Ghana, East Timor, Peru, Rwanda, Morocco, Liberia and Canada, among others. These

commissions typically focus on documenting the truth of what happened during periods of

conflict, repression or systemic injustice, providing a platform for victims to share their

experiences and recommending ways to address the consequences of these abuses. The

underlying assumption of these efforts is that a shared understanding of past wrongs is

crucial for reconciliation and the rebuilding of trust within societies.

However, the relationship between uncovering the truth and achieving reconciliation is

complex and not always straightforward. While knowing the truth can be an essential part of

healing, it does not automatically lead to reconciliation. Factors such as the nature of the

disclosures, the responses from the perpetrators and the broader community and the social

and political climate can influence the outcome. Moreover, the processes of these

commissions can sometimes reopen old wounds or be perceived as insufficient or biased,

complicating efforts toward national healing.

It was not until South Africa in 1995 that the word “reconciliation”was added to the title of

commissions aimed at truth-seeking. It seems that the word “reconciliation” not only

broadened the scope of these commissions but also added a level of accountability and

possibilities for action, which heightened expectations regarding their outcomes. It

suggested a dual commitment: to uncover the factual past and to actively facilitate the

healing of societies torn by conflicts and injustices. Hayner states, “A truth commission can

promote reconciliation, outline needed reforms, allow victims a cathartic airing of their pains,

and represent an important, official acknowledgment of a long-silenced past” (1996, p. 19). In

other words, reconciliation has been seen as a potential tool to deliver justice for people,

communities and nations to live in the present and to move into a better future.

While reconciliation represents a significant global response against systemic violence

and a tool for justice and lasting peace, each commission’s approach, successes and

challenges vary, highlighting the nuanced and contextual nature of seeking truth and

reconciliation in societies striving to overcome painful pasts.

In Canada, Indigenous community members and their allies gathered in 2021 during the

first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to reflect on residential schools’ dark legacy

and call on all Canadians to understand and act on the legacies of colonization. Murray

Sinclair, former Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, stated that “getting to the

truth was hard, but getting to the reconciliation is going to be harder” (Sinclair, 2021).

Wakerakatste Louise McDonald Herne, Bear Clan Mother for the Mohawk Nation Council,

called on Canadians to “know the history of this country and the corruption it was built upon.

You need to correct the wrongs, and you have to own your own truth” (CBC, 2021). Algonquin

Elder Claudette Commanda observed that the discovery of unmarked graves near former

residential school sites has awakened the country to its history, “Two-hundred and fifteen

Equality,

Diversity and

Inclusion: An

International

Journal

1001

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 43 No. 6, 2024

pp. 1001-1006

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-08-2024-430