Apologies, Abuses and Dealing with the Past: A Socio-Legal Analysis

这个项目将研究道歉、虐待和处理过去之间的关系。该项目将以爱尔兰岛为案例研究，探讨一系列更广泛的主题，涉及道歉在国家之外的构建、传递和接受方式。它将侧重于为准军事组织、教会和企业部门造成的伤害道歉。此外，国际和比较研究将由一名博士生（由昆士兰大学资助）进行，以探索这些主题在其他背景下的共鸣。在概念层面上，道歉的概念是多种多样的理论，几乎总是集中在国家。尽管人们普遍认为道歉是处理过去错误的关键，但在实践中，理论文献很少通过对道歉者、受害者或普通公众的观点进行详细的实证评估。近几十年来，国家、武装组织、教会和大公司都为过去的错误道歉，尽管结果好坏参半。对受害者来说，道歉往往是处理过去的一个重要因素。然而，在实践中，道歉与问责、和解、真相和合法性等概念之间的确切相互作用却鲜为人知。更普遍地说，虽然“说对不起”几乎是一种承认伤害的行为，但很少有人努力去细致地把握什么是合法的道歉，以及这种道歉的起草、表现和接受如何有助于或不有助于接受过去的错误。通过对肇事者、受害者和社区的视角的探索，本项目旨在全面而严谨地分析道歉在处理过去的过程中所扮演的角色。本项目将以北爱尔兰和爱尔兰共和国为个案研究，探讨道歉在处理与准军事暴力、机构性虐待儿童和经济危机有关的过去伤害中的作用。昆士兰大学资助的一名博士生将在选定的国际背景下探索这些主题的共鸣。探讨在处理过去时道歉的建构、表达和接受的一系列主题，包括：道歉与法律；道歉和问责；道歉、承认和真相；为时机、编排和表演道歉；道歉、合法性和受众；道歉和领导力；道歉，和解，坚持到底；道歉和想象中的社区。采用广泛分析学术和政策文献及档案研究的研究方法；与“肇事者”、受害者、主要决策者和舆论形成者进行半结构化访谈；受害者焦点小组；2 .对公众成员进行CAPI调查（和焦点小组）。通过项目网站、推特、博客、利益相关者研讨会、大型国际会议和在一系列国际和国家会议上的演讲，传播研究结果、学术和政策产出。出版物将包括一本专著，至少四篇文章/书籍章节，六份政策文件和12个博客。潜在的应用和好处该项目旨在加深人们对道歉在处理过去时所起作用的理解。之前关于道歉的研究往往局限于学科领域。基于对道歉通常受到法律影响的理解，该项目将寻求在法律与其他领域（包括政治、哲学、人类学、历史学、社会学和心理学）之间建立一个桥头堡。虽然是从爱尔兰的经验中汲取的，但对道歉的作用有一个更全面的理解，对于任何一个努力接受过去伤害的社会的学者、政策制定者和活动人士来说，都将是有意义的。

CONTEXTThis project will examine the relationship between apologies, abuses and dealing with the past. Using the island of Ireland as a case-study, the project will explore a range of wider themes concerning the ways in which apologies have been constructed, delivered and received beyond the state. It will focus on apologies for harms inflicted by paramilitaries, churches and the corporate sector. In addition, international and comparative research will be conducted by a PhD student (funded by QUB) to explore the resonance of these themes in other contexts. At a conceptual level, the notion of apology is diversely theorised and almost always focused on the state. Despite widespread acceptance that apologies are key to dealing with past wrongs, in practice the theoretical literature is rarely informed by detailed empirical assessment of the views of apologisers, victims or the general public. States, armed groups, churches and large corporations have in recent decades apologised for past wrongs, albeit with mixed results. For victims, apologies often appear to be an important element of dealing with the past. However, in practice the precise interplay between apology and notions such as accountability, reconciliation, truth and legitimacy is little understood. More generally, while 'saying sorry' is almost a given as an acknowledgement of hurt, there have been few efforts to develop a nuanced grasp of what constitutes a legitimate apology and how the drafting, performance and reception of such apologies may or may not assist in coming to terms with past wrongs. Through exploring the perspectives of perpetrators, victims and community, this project seeks to provide a comprehensive and rigorous analysis of the role of apologies in dealing with the past. AIMUsing Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as a case-study, this project will explore the role of apologies in dealing with past harms linked to paramilitary violence, institutional child abuse and the economic crisis. A QUB-funded PhD student will explore the resonance of these themes in select international contexts.OBJECTIVES1. To explore a range of themes concerning the construction, delivery and reception of apologies in dealing with the past including: apologies and law; apologies and accountability; apologies, acknowledgement and truth; apologies timing, choreography and performance; apologies, legitimacy and audience; apologies and leadership; apologies, reconciliation and follow through; apologies and imagined communities.2. To deploy a research methodology involving an extensive analysis of academic and policy literature and archival research; semi-structured interviews with 'perpetrators', victims and key policy makers and opinion formers; focus groups with victims; and a CAPI survey (and focus groups) with members of the general public.3. To disseminate the findings and academic and policy outputs through a project website, twitter, blogs, stakeholder seminars, a major international conference and presentations at a range of international and national conferences. Publications will include one monograph, at least four articles/book chapters, six policy documents and 12 blogs. POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS AND BENEFITS The project is designed to develop a deeper understanding of the role of apologies in dealing with the past. Previous research on apologies has often been confined to disciplinary silos. Premised on the understanding that apologies are usually shaped by legal implications, this project will seek to develop a bridge-head between law and other fields including politics, philosophy, anthropology, history, sociology and psychology. While drawn from the experience of Ireland, a more holistic understanding of the role of apologies will be of interest to academics, policy makers and activists in any society struggling to come to terms with the harms of the past.