Description
Book SynopsisReconciliation by Stealth advances a novel approach to evaluating the effects of transitional justice in postconflict societies. Through her examination of the Balkan conflicts, Denisa Kostovicova asks what happens when former adversaries discuss legacies of violence and atrocity, and whether it is possible to do so without further deepening animosities. Reconciliation by Stealth shifts our attention from what people say about war crimes, to how they deliberate past wrongs.
Bringing together theories of democratic deliberation and peacebuilding, Kostovicova demonstrates how people from opposing ethnic groups reconcile through reasoned, respectful, and empathetic deliberation about a difficult legacy. She finds that expression of ethnic difference plays a role in good-quality deliberation across ethnic lines, while revealed intraethnic divisions help deliberators expand moral horizons previously narrowed by conflict. In the process, people forge bon
Trade Review
In Reconciliation by Stealth, Kostovicova (London School of Economics, England) introduces readers to another way of dealing with war crimes: conversation. The goal is to allow victims and survivors the chance to speak their truths and expose others to them. One's gender, ethnicity, tribal affiliation, and more affects one's ability to speak the truth.
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Table of ContentsIntroduction: Reconciliation through Public Communication
1. Wars, Crimes, and Justice in the Balkans
2. Bringing Identities into Postconflict Deliberation
3. Quantifying Discourse in Transitional Justice
4. Words of Reason and Talk of Pain
5. Who Agrees and Who Disagrees
6. Discursive Solidarity against Identity Politics
Conclusion: Reconciliation and Deliberative Interethnic Contact
