Making the intractable conflict tractable: a critical discourse analysis of the philosophy underlying the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission

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Oguntuwase, O-J, 2018. Making the intractable conflict tractable: a critical discourse analysis of the philosophy underlying the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

The world is still groping under the yoke of seeking lasting solutions to some stubborn international conflicts that have resisted myriad resolution attempt with no solutions still in sight. This is despite the imposing presence of the UN and the growing sophistication in the art and science of conflict resolution. The compelling fact necessitating this research is that the world has classified such age-long conflicts as "intractable" giving the impression of fait-accompli. Excitingly, the 1994/95 collapse of the 48 years Apartheid conflict, which was hitherto regarded as one of the world's worst intractable conflict, was a contradiction of this idea of intractability. Hence South Africa Blaise the trail that these so-called intractable conflicts are tractable after all.

This research aims at identifying the totality of instruments employed by South Africa to achieve this success. While operating within a multidisciplinary purview of the intersection between, Politics, International Relations, Philosophy as well as language and Communication. The methodology of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Giorgio Agamben's "Exclusive Inclusive Philosophy of the Homo Sacer", were applied in the analysis and interpretation of the emerging narratives from the TRC report. The purpose is to discover the underlying theories and principles that animate the mediation process in order to understand this South African recipe for intractable conflict.

Emerging from the above processes is the discovery that the South African success story rests on a home-grown intervention process. That which involves negotiations that ultimately led to the emergence of a new constitution and the Institution of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which is vested with the responsibility of dealing with the atrocities of the past, in a manner that creates no winner or loser.

The findings further reveal, that underlying these negotiations and operation of the TRC is the fundamental principle of "deconstruction of absolute ideas". Emanating from this were a set of seven paradoxical couplets upon which the South African success story was brewed. These Seven paradoxes constitute a significant contribution to knowledge. They include Peace without Reconciliation, Unification without Harmony, Healing without Forgetting, Confession without Remorse, Amnesty without Forgiveness, Tolerance without Friendship, and Truth without Justice.

Item Type:	Thesis
Creators:	Oguntuwase, O.-J.
Date:	October 2018
Rights:	This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Nottingham Trent University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. I agree that the re-use of information derived from this thesis should not be published without the prior consent and referencing of the author and the University. Requests or queries for any other use of this thesis, or if a more substantial copy is required for the purpose of publication, should be directed to the owner of the Intellectual Property Rights.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	21 Oct 2019 11:17
Last Modified:	21 Oct 2019 11:18
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/38008