The Status of State Apologies

Gibney, Mark; Roxström, Erik

doi:10.1353/hrq.2001.0051

Cited by 64 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…There has also been increasing international effort to uncover and punish past human rights violations, leading to a number of apologies and compensations by national governments (Gibney and Roxstrom 2001). Germany's apologies for Nazi crimes and the U.S. government's apologies for internment of Japanese Americans are prime examples.…”

Section: Historical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Redressing Past Human Rights Violations: Global Dimensions of Contemporary Social Movements

Tsutsui

2006

Social Forces

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This paper proposes a theoretical framework to analyzeglobal dimensions of contemporary social movements and attempts to answer the empirical question: why did the social movement for former comfort women emerge in the late 1980s after more than 40 years of silence? The theoretical framework integrates the world polity approach into social movement theory to argue that global political and cultural transformations in recent years have expandedpolitical opportunities at the global level and intensified international flows of mobilizational resources and discursiveframes, increasing the potential for social movements on globally legitimated issues such as human rights. The empirical analysis on the rise and development of the comfort women movement shows that these global factors have been crucial in the emergence and success of the movement. This paper proposes a theoretical framework to understand the impact of newly emerging global norms on contemporary social movements and applies the framework to an empirical case of social movement for former "comfort women." In the past several decades, new normative expectations around progressive issues such as human rights and environmentalism have congealed into fairly coherent global norms and influential international instruments. The progressive ideas have diffused and changed political dynamics across the globe, engendering many new social movements that pressure governments and corporations to change their practice. Scholars in international relations and social movement research have taken notice and produced many studies that examine the impact of the new global norms and institutions on contemporary social movements. This paper builds on this burgeoning literature and seeks a theoretical synthesis of the existing studies on global dimensions of contemporary social movements, incorporating ideas in the world polity research.The theoretical framework will then be applied to a case study on social movements for former "comfort women."' The term "comfort women" refers to an estimated number of 80,000 to 200,000 women who were drafted from the then-Japanese territories with varying degrees of coercion and deception and brought to "comfort stations" to provide sexual services for Japanese soldiers during the Asia-Pacific War (Hicks 1995, Lie 1997, Yoshimi 2000). While women from many of the Japanese colonies were victimized, more than 80 percent of them are said to have been Korean women, making it a particularly thorny diplomatie issue between Japan and Korea (Chai 1993, Soh 1996. They were subjected to coerced sexual labor and terrible living conditions, and their

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Section: Historical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Redressing Past Human Rights Violations: Global Dimensions of Contemporary Social Movements

Tsutsui

2006

Social Forces

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“…34 For this to happen, it is argued by some authors, a successful apology needs publicity, ceremony and explanation. 35 Also crucial is the status of the person giving the apology; if it is a politician (or a former combatant) acting in a personal capacity it may have less impact than if given officially by a top state official on behalf of the state. When leaders apologise, they give society permission to say the previously unsayable.…”

Section: Apologies: Theoretical Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Redress for past harms? Official apologies in Northern Ireland

Lundy

Rolston²

2015

The International Journal of Human Rights

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This article critically examines the nature, role and function of official apologies with respect to conflict-related deaths in Northern Ireland. It draws on empirical research of investigations carried out by the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) in state involvement cases and in particular a sample of unpublished reports that prompted official apologies. These reports also contain individual 'perpetrator' apologies or expressions of regret. Apologies are promoted as an important transitional justice tool, and the topic has generated considerable literature. However, while that literature has touched upon the possible adverse effects of apologies, there has been less focus on examining the empirical evidence of situations where apologies have turned out to have negative effects. This article addresses aspects of this research gap through the lens of three key transitional justice themes: redress, reparation and victims' agency. Pivotal questions are raised about the value of apology to the victim on the one hand and the state on the other. The conceding or withholding of official apologies is examined: who qualifies and why, and whether certain victims are deemed 'undeserving' of an apology. The article concludes by suggesting that a pattern of official apologies without accountability and acceptance of responsibility is emerging in Northern Ireland; that official apologies can function as a way to shield state institutions, deflect further scrutiny, deny culpability, avoid effective redress and placate and silence victims. In this context historical injustice may be intensified rather than rectified, causing more harm than good, at best glossing over past wrongs and at worst facilitating impunity and re-traumatising victims.

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“…Where the State is the offender, the acknowledgement of the relevant wrong necessarily involves overt recognition of what is just (and unjust) conduct between the parties. The process is, therefore, norm affirming (de Grieff, 2007;Gibney & Roxtrom, 2001; although see Cook & Powell, 2003), upholding current, consensual conceptions of justice, and may thereby reduce the likelihood of re-offending by the State.…”

Section: Restoration and Reconciliationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using restorative justice to resolve historical injustices of Indigenous peoples

Gibbs¹

2009

Contemporary Justice Review

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The Status of State Apologies

Cited by 64 publications

References 10 publications

Redressing Past Human Rights Violations: Global Dimensions of Contemporary Social Movements

Redressing Past Human Rights Violations: Global Dimensions of Contemporary Social Movements

Redress for past harms? Official apologies in Northern Ireland

Using restorative justice to resolve historical injustices of Indigenous peoples

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