Apologies, Abuses and Dealing with the past

Prof Kieran McEvoy and Dr Anna Bryson (QUB) Within the academic literature, the concept of apology is diversely theorised and almost always focused on the state.  Despite widespread acceptance that apologies are key to dealing with past wrongs, in practice there has been relatively little detailed empirical assessment of the views of apologisers, victims or the general public. By exploring the perspectives of perpetrators, victims and the wider community, this presentation seeks to provide a roadmap for a more comprehensive and rigorous analysis of the role of apologies in dealing with the past.  Taking the island of Ireland, as a case-study, it examines the relationship between apologies, abuses and dealing with the past in the context of harms associated with paramilitary violence, institutional child abuses and the recent economic crisis. Deliberation and debate on apologies by government, civil society and other actors. The presentation could help inform in various contexts, such as the Northern Ireland political conflict negotiations, child abuse by religious authorities inquiries and Irish banking crisis inquiries. This seminar took place on 18th April 2018 Download: Policy Briefing Presentation