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Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa: Miracle or Model?, Lyn S. Graybill (Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2002), 231pp., $49.95 cloth, $19.95 paper.
The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is arguably the most discussed and controversial such body to investigate and document the history of civil unrest and conflict in a transitioning country. Lyn Graybill, who has written extensively on South Africa and the TRC, suggests that the balance between pragmatism and idealism shaped the TRC into an extraordinary example of restorative justice. In her account, the TRC was not an "evil compromise" (p. xi), but a well-considered political decision on the part of victims, perpetrators, and other groups desiring peace and truth rather than ongoing violence and vengeance. Graybill focuses on the religious, political, and individual influences that have created the most ambitious attempt at reconciliation to date.
One of the strengths of this book is the neutrality Graybill takes when discussing truth commissions and specifically the TRC. She emphasizes that the TRC has not provided full forgiveness or truth to many victims. Though many wounds remain unhealed, the TRC has nonetheless offered an alternative to more violence by focusing on the needs of victims.
The book is written in a narrative form, beginning with the setup of the TRC and ending with an analysis of the model it created. Graybill argues that, from the start, the TRC differed from previous truth commissions as the choice to create it was taken democratically, in the form of a parliamentary decision, rather than by presidential decree. The compromises and debates on issues of amnesty and the goals of the commission were, in turn, far more public than they were in other commissions, such as those established in South America. In contrast to previous truth commissions, the makeup of the commissioners on the TRC was eclectic and included people from diverse ethnicities and professions, as well as members of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
Graybill discusses the importance of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu as leaders who shaped the TRC's structure and implementation. Mandela is presented as a pragmatist who...