The central thesis of this article is that while apology and forgiveness are vital for dealing with a violent past, there is a need to critically transform the sociopolitical epistemic subjectivities that underpin a wrongdoing. These include political discourses, narratives, ideas and ideologies that justified the wrongdoing in the first place and are thus its bedrock. This is against the understanding that brutality and violence are sustained by particular epistemologies, logics and reasonings. Failure to bring about their transformation results in not stopping the repetition of brutality and not realizing sustainable reconciliation, as well as stifling key aspects of dealing with the past, such as truth seeking, truth telling, justice and accountability. By drawing on the state-sponsored massacres in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces in Zimbabwe in the early 1980s – the Gukurahundi massacres – this article argues that current calls for, and implementations of, apologies and forgiveness are often undertaken without considering the need to transform the epistemic bedrock of conflict and violence which engenders apology and forgiveness. This lack of focus on transformation makes apology and forgiveness susceptible to abuse or underutilization, and thus impotent in facilitating sustainable reconciliation. The article emphasizes the need to transform the cognitive and epistemic subjectivities underpinning wrongdoing, thus making a case for transformative apology and forgiveness.

中文翻译：

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道歉和宽恕的剖析：走向变革性的道歉和宽恕

本文的中心论点是，虽然道歉和宽恕对于处理暴力过去至关重要，但有必要批判性地转变支撑不法行为的社会政治认知主体。这些包括政治话语、叙述、思想和意识形态，它们首先为不法行为辩护，因此是其基石。这违背了残暴和暴力是由特定的认识论、逻辑和推理维持的理解。未能实现他们的转变，导致无法停止残暴的重演，无法实现可持续的和解，也会扼杀处理过去的关键方面，例如寻求真相、讲真话、正义和问责制。通过借鉴 1980 年代初期津巴布韦马塔贝莱兰省和米德兰兹省由国家支持的大屠杀——古库拉洪迪大屠杀——本文认为，当前对道歉和宽恕的呼吁和实施往往没有考虑转变认识论的必要性。导致道歉和宽恕的冲突和暴力的基石。缺乏对转变的关注使得道歉和宽恕容易被滥用或利用不足，从而无法促进可持续的和解。文章强调需要转变支撑不法行为的认知和认知主观性，从而为转变性的道歉和宽恕提供理由。道歉和宽恕往往没有考虑改变导致道歉和宽恕的冲突和暴力的认知基础的必要性。缺乏对转变的关注使得道歉和宽恕容易被滥用或利用不足，从而无法促进可持续的和解。文章强调需要转变支撑不法行为的认知和认知主观性，从而为转变性的道歉和宽恕提供理由。道歉和宽恕往往没有考虑改变导致道歉和宽恕的冲突和暴力的认知基础的必要性。缺乏对转变的关注使得道歉和宽恕容易被滥用或利用不足，从而无法促进可持续的和解。文章强调需要转变支撑不法行为的认知和认知主观性，从而为转变性的道歉和宽恕提供理由。从而无法促进可持续的和解。文章强调需要转变支撑不法行为的认知和认知主观性，从而为转变性的道歉和宽恕提供理由。从而无法促进可持续的和解。文章强调需要转变支撑不法行为的认知和认知主观性，从而为转变性的道歉和宽恕提供理由。