This article assesses the psychological impact on victims of the nation-building discourse of truth commissions. It asks: to what degree does a nation undergo a uniform and collective truth-telling experience and what are the consequences for individual subjectivities of asserting…
This paper presents counsellors' appraisals of the Wits Trauma Counselling Model which is used for the treatment of psychological trauma. The study was conducted with counsellors working at the Trauma Clinic of the Centre for the Study of Violence and…
This paper focuses on the legacy of the negotiated settlement in South Africa. It begins by outlining the events surrounding the South African transition, and looks closely at the role of violence in that process. The timing of the transition…
This paper attempts to provide some understanding of the role of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in promoting reconciliation within the community of Duduza. While the TRC does not have a specific mandate to advance local reconciliation, it has…
In a large country with many rural inhabitants, to merely document all the gross violations of human rights that occurred under apartheid and to simply provide the space to thousands of victims to recount the stories of their abuse, all…
This article focuses on how Brazil dealt with and failed to deal with its authoritarian past, and what lessons this experience may hold for South Africa. The central focus is on victim support groups in both countries and examines their…