ABSTRACT

In the wake of over 50 years of racial separation, hostility, and struggle, the South African government has initiated a large number of public interventions seeking to achieve the twin aims of reconciliation and the building of a single nation, on the one hand, and redress and redistribution, on the other. These interventions have involved significant sectors of the South African public, have been made the subject of media debate, and have, on occasion, resulted in the adoption of legislation and public policy. A key role in these interventions has been played by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The brief of the TRC was shaped in public debate and was crafted as a particular instrument for the purpose of building reconciliation. In this chapter I look at the pedagogical significance of the TRC and ask, specifically, how the TRC operates as a medium for teaching peace.