Group Apologies in the Context of Transitional Justice: A Review of the Evidence

In recent decades, governments and other institutions have frequently turned to group apologies as a means of bringing about transitional justice and repairing collective harms. In this chapter, we describe key components of a successful apology and review existing empirical studies on the implications of group apologies offered in the context of historical injustices, that is, deliberate, violent or discriminatory actions committed in the past by a group or a state and that have a lasting impact on the well-being of present-day communities. We report research examining the effects of apologies on reconciliation (e.g., granting forgiveness or harmonious intergroup relations), considering both senders and receivers of apologies. We also identify reconciliation-relevant, affective (e.g., guilt, empathy, or admiration) and cognitive processes (e.g., perceived sincerity or representativeness of an apology) that might facilitate apologies’ reconciliation-relevant implications. Further, we review the characteristics of group apologies, their senders, and the context in which apologies are offered that make apologies work best (or worst). We close our chapter with reflections for research and practice in transitional justice.