Truth recovery in Northern Ireland

Critically interpreting the past

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory
Cover of the book Truth recovery in Northern Ireland by Kirk Simpson, Manchester University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kirk Simpson ISBN: 9781847797285
Publisher: Manchester University Press Publication: July 19, 2013
Imprint: Manchester University Press Language: English
Author: Kirk Simpson
ISBN: 9781847797285
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Publication: July 19, 2013
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Language: English

Northern Ireland has entered what is arguably the key phase in its troubled political history – truth recovery and dealing with the legacy of the past – yet the void in knowledge and the lack of academic literature with regard to victims’ rights is particularly striking. This book, newly available in paperback, analyses truth recovery as a fundamental aspect of the transition from political violence to peace, democracy and stability in post-conflict Northern Ireland. Kirk Simpson argues that it is essential for any process of truth recovery in Northern Ireland to provide the victims of political violence with the opportunity to express and articulate their narratives of suffering within the context of public dialogic processes. He outlines a unique and original model: that victims of political violence should be enabled to engage in meaningful truth recovery through a Habermasian process of public democratic deliberation and communication involving direct dialogue with the perpetrators of such violence. This process of ‘communicative justice’ is framed within Habermas’s theory of communicative action and can help to ensure that legitimate truth recovery publicly acknowledges the trauma of victims and subjects perpetrator narratives of political violence to critical scrutiny and rational deconstruction. Crucially, the book aims to contribute to the empowerment of victims in Northern Ireland by stimulating constructive discussion and awareness of hitherto silenced narratives of the conflict. This difficult and unsettling interrogation and interpretation of the conflict from a comparatively ‘unknown perspective’ is central to the prospects for critically examining and mastering the past in Northern Ireland.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Northern Ireland has entered what is arguably the key phase in its troubled political history – truth recovery and dealing with the legacy of the past – yet the void in knowledge and the lack of academic literature with regard to victims’ rights is particularly striking. This book, newly available in paperback, analyses truth recovery as a fundamental aspect of the transition from political violence to peace, democracy and stability in post-conflict Northern Ireland. Kirk Simpson argues that it is essential for any process of truth recovery in Northern Ireland to provide the victims of political violence with the opportunity to express and articulate their narratives of suffering within the context of public dialogic processes. He outlines a unique and original model: that victims of political violence should be enabled to engage in meaningful truth recovery through a Habermasian process of public democratic deliberation and communication involving direct dialogue with the perpetrators of such violence. This process of ‘communicative justice’ is framed within Habermas’s theory of communicative action and can help to ensure that legitimate truth recovery publicly acknowledges the trauma of victims and subjects perpetrator narratives of political violence to critical scrutiny and rational deconstruction. Crucially, the book aims to contribute to the empowerment of victims in Northern Ireland by stimulating constructive discussion and awareness of hitherto silenced narratives of the conflict. This difficult and unsettling interrogation and interpretation of the conflict from a comparatively ‘unknown perspective’ is central to the prospects for critically examining and mastering the past in Northern Ireland.

More books from Manchester University Press

Cover of the book Federalism and democratisation in Russia by Kirk Simpson
Cover of the book In defence of councillors by Kirk Simpson
Cover of the book Dancing in the English style by Kirk Simpson
Cover of the book The power of citizens and professionals in welfare encounters by Kirk Simpson
Cover of the book Thomas Hood and nineteenth-century poetry by Kirk Simpson
Cover of the book The Israeli response to Jewish extremism and violence by Kirk Simpson
Cover of the book Cultures of violence by Kirk Simpson
Cover of the book British National Identity and Opposition to Membership of Europe, 1961-63 by Kirk Simpson
Cover of the book Chagos Islanders in Mauritius and the UK by Kirk Simpson
Cover of the book Race and empire by Kirk Simpson
Cover of the book The Houses of History by Kirk Simpson
Cover of the book Direct rule and the governance of Northern Ireland by Kirk Simpson
Cover of the book Writing and constructing the self in Great Britain in the long eighteenth century by Kirk Simpson
Cover of the book The Judas kiss by Kirk Simpson
Cover of the book Beckett's Dantes by Kirk Simpson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy