Sing the Rage: Listening to Anger after Mass Violence
Sonali Chakravarti
Abstract
The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (1996-1998) was an unprecedented step in developing an institution of transitional justice that incorporated emotional responses to mass violence within the context of victim testimony. However, it was unable to recognize the significance of anger in a clear way. The obstacles it revealed in its engagement with anger were reminiscent of debates within the history of political thought on the relationship between anger and justice. Two of the most provocative philosophical positions on this question, that of Adam Smith and Hannah Arendt, are ... More
The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (1996-1998) was an unprecedented step in developing an institution of transitional justice that incorporated emotional responses to mass violence within the context of victim testimony. However, it was unable to recognize the significance of anger in a clear way. The obstacles it revealed in its engagement with anger were reminiscent of debates within the history of political thought on the relationship between anger and justice. Two of the most provocative philosophical positions on this question, that of Adam Smith and Hannah Arendt, are assessed in order to understand the fears surrounding the expression of anger in politics and the costs of its exclusion. The book argues that the expression of anger is vital to the success of transitional justice processes because it can reveal the perceptions of the state, including the emerging political order, of those who had previously been excluded and the obstacles to their full participation in the new society. It also reveals the limits of political life altogether. Most importantly, an engagement with anger can contribute to the development of trust among citizens through the practice of mutual risk.
Keywords:
Anger,
Emotion,
South Africa,
Truth and Reconciliation Commission,
Adam Smith,
Hannah Arendt,
Aristotle,
Transitional justice,
testimony
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2014 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780226119984 |
| Published to Chicago Scholarship Online: September 2014 |
DOI:10.7208/chicago/9780226120041.001.0001 |
