Doubting the Unconditional Need for Retribution
John Borneman’s brilliantly conceptualized essay “Reconciliation after Ethnic Cleansing: Listening, Retribution, Affiliation” (Public Culture 14 [spring 2002]: 281–304) provides an illuminating and coherent approach to the elusive challenge of achieving reconciliation in the aftermath of ethnic cleansing. I find his assessment convincing and perceptive, providing the best available foundation for evaluating past instances and an excellent framework for future praxis. I especially appreciate the significance that his discussion accords to an ethos of listening so as to discern the specificities of each particular case and identify the concrete reality of perpetrator and victim.
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