Guilt, Forgiveness, and Moral Repair: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

“This splendid volume sheds much light on forgiveness, moral repair, and related issues. The multidisciplinary and cross-cultural approach of the volume is particularly helpful with regard to these famously complicated topics. Anyone interested in them will find this book well worth consulting.”
Charles Griswold, Bowne Professor of Philosophy, Boston University, USA, and author of Forgiveness: A Philosophical Exploration

“This publication follows a unique approach as it contrasts in a highly differentiated way Western notions of forgiveness with other cultural ideas and practices of reconciliation. This intelligent and sensible combination of complementary perspectives is a MUST for anyone working on the wide field of violence prevention, healing, peace and reconciliation.”

Véronique Zanetti, Professor of Political Philosophy, Bielefeld University, Germany

In current debates about coming to terms with individual and collective wrongdoing, the concept of forgiveness has played an important but controversial role. For a long time, the idea was widespread that a forgiving attitude — overcoming feelings of resentment and the desire for revenge — was always virtuous. Recently, however, this idea has been questioned. The contributors to this volume do not take sides for or against forgiveness but rather examine its meaning and function against the backdrop of a more complex understanding of moral repair in a variety of social, circumstantial, and cultural contexts. The book aims to gain a differentiated understanding of the European traditions regarding forgiveness, revenge, and moral repair that have shaped our moral intuitions today whilst also examining examples from other cultural contexts (Asia and Africa, in particular) to explore how different cultural traditions deal with the need for moral repair after wrongdoing.

Maria-Sibylla Lotter, Professor of Philosophy, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany, and author of Scham, Schuld, Verantwortung.

Saskia Fischer, Research Associate in German Studies and Comparative Literature, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany, and author of Ritual und Ritualität im Drama nach 1945.