Vehement resentment and indignation are pervasive in societies emerging from dictatorship or civil conflict. How can institutions channel these emotions without undermining the prospects for democracy?
Emphasizing the need to recognize and constructively engage negative public emotions, Mihaela Mihai contributes theoretically and practically to the growing field of transitional justice. Drawing on an extensive philosophical literature and case studies of democratic transitions in South Africa, South America, and Eastern Europe, her book rescues negative emotions from their bad reputation and highlights the obstacles and the opportunities such emotions create for democracy. By valorizing negative emotions, either through the judicial review of transitional justice bills or the criminal trials of victimizers, institutions realize the value of respect and concern for all while contributing to a culture that is hospitable to democracy.
Table of Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Problem
1. Transitional Justice: Optional or Imperative?
2. Theorizing Resentment and Indignation
3. Enabling Emotional Responsibility I: Judicial Review of Transitional Justice Legislation
4. Enabling Emotional Responsibility II: Criminal Trials in Democratic Transitions
Conclusions
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Mihaela Mihai is Senior Research Fellow in Politics and International Relations at the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh. She is the coeditor of
On the Uses and Abuses of Political Apologies (2014) and
Reclaiming Democracy: Judgment, Responsibility, and the Right to Politics (2015).
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