Forgiveness in Perspective © 2016. Inter-Disciplinary Press. Author complimentary copy only. Distribution is prohibited. http://www.inter-disciplinary.net. Inter-Disciplinary Press Publishing Advisory Board Ana Maria Borlescu Peter Bray Ann-Marie Cook Robert Fisher Lisa Howard Peter Mario Kreuter Stephen Morris John Parry Karl Spracklen Peter Twohig Inter-Disciplinary Press is a part of Inter-Disciplinary.Net A Global Network for Dynamic Research and Publishing 2016 © 2016. Inter-Disciplinary Press. Author complimentary copy only. Distribution is prohibited. http://www.inter-disciplinary.net. Forgiveness in Perspective Edited by Francesca Dominello and David H. Pereyra Inter-Disciplinary Press Oxford, United Kingdom © 2016. Inter-Disciplinary Press. Author complimentary copy only. Distribution is prohibited. http://www.inter-disciplinary.net. © Inter-Disciplinary Press 2016 http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/publishing/id-press/ The Inter-Disciplinary Press is part of Inter-Disciplinary.Net – a global network for research and publishing. The Inter-Disciplinary Press aims to promote and encourage the kind of work which is collaborative, innovative, imaginative, and which provides an exemplar for inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of Inter-Disciplinary Press. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Inter-Disciplinary Press, Priory House, 149B Wroslyn Road, Freeland, Oxfordshire. OX29 8HR, United Kingdom. +44 (0)1993 882087 ISBN: 978-1-84888-420-5 First published in the United Kingdom in Paperback format in 2016. First Edition. © 2016. Inter-Disciplinary Press. Author complimentary copy only. Distribution is prohibited. http://www.inter-disciplinary.net. Table of Contents Introduction: Forgiveness in Perspective vii Francesca Dominello and David H. Pereyra Battered Women’s Pathways to Forgiveness 3 Aviva Zrihan-Weitzman and Zvi Eisikovits The Temporality of Forgiveness: Memory, 25 Counter-Memory, Rearticulation Steve Larocco The Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Roman 41 Catholic Church: Where an Experience of Mercy and Forgiveness can Fail David H. Pereyra Forgiveness and Compassion in Indian Historical 65 Tradition: Precepts and Praxis in the Edicts of Ashoka Ravindra Kumar Political Implications of Apology and Forgiveness 91 for Indigenous Peoples Francesca Dominello Index 127 © 2016. Inter-Disciplinary Press. Author complimentary copy only. Distribution is prohibited. http://www.inter-disciplinary.net. © 2016. Inter-Disciplinary Press. Author complimentary copy only. Distribution is prohibited. http://www.inter-disciplinary.net. Introduction: Forgiveness in Perspective Francesca Dominello and David H. Pereyra Throughout history the notion of forgiveness has attracted a substantial amount of scholarly attention and debate. The extensive literature that now exists on forgiveness reveals its complex and contested nature. None of the chapters in this volume claim to have settled any of these debates or to have resolved any of the contentious views about forgiveness that have appeared in the literature to date. But they each, in their own way, aim to contribute new perspectives on forgiveness. Taking their cue from a range of fields that include psychology, philosophy, religious studies, history and politics, each chapter engages in its own unique exploration of the notion of forgiveness. In approaching forgiveness from these diverse disciplinary perspectives, the book intends to contribute further to the examination of the nature of forgiveness and how it is practised in society. In examining the notion of forgiveness in the realms of the interpersonal, religious and political spheres, each chapter provides original insight into the notion of forgiveness and the conditions that can make it possible. In exploring forgiveness in a variety of contexts readers will gain a deeper insight into the effects of forgiveness on the myriad of relationships that exist in the world in which we live. Among the debates about forgiveness, questions have arisen about its nature and how it affects those who seek it and grant it, and the relationships between individuals and communities that exist in society and in the broader political context. Central in these debates has been the question of whether forgiveness can be granted unconditionally or not. Within and among different disciplines, differences in opinion exist on this question. In Christian theology, for instance, some passages in the Bible on forgiveness have been interpreted as advocating unconditional forgiveness while other passages have been interpreted as evidence that forgiveness is conditional.1 A similar debate exists among secular scholars. In philosophy, some challenge the granting of unconditional forgiveness especially when it is granted in the absence of remorse for the transgression by the wrongdoer.2 In these cases the granting of forgiveness demonstrates a lack of self-respect and is considered a sign of weakness. Maintaining respect for oneself in the face of the wrongdoer’s blatant disrespect in committing the wrongdoing requires maintaining resentment towards the wrongdoer. Only when wrongdoers repent for their wrongdoing do they become deserving of forgiveness.3 The granting of forgiveness, then, depends on the wrongdoer’s demonstration of remorse. The wrongdoer’s repentance serves as a sign of respect for the victim. It demonstrates to the victim that the wrongdoer understands what they did was wrong, and that the victim did not deserve to be treated in that way.4 In turn, the wrongdoer, through their repentance, regains the © 2016. Inter-Disciplinary Press. Author complimentary copy only. Distribution is prohibited. http://www.inter-disciplinary.net. viii Introduction __________________________________________________________________ victim’s trust and respect that had also been violated by the wrongdoer’s harmful actions. This view of forgiveness depends heavily on the understanding of forgiveness and repentance as relational, and situates the remorse of the wrongdoer as a necessary precondition for forgiveness. According to this understanding the sincere expression of remorse for past wrongdoing is what makes forgiveness possible. Indeed, this could have particular consequences for the power dynamic that exists between the parties. In granting or withholding forgiveness the victim can assert control over the situation. When the situation had once exposed the victim to the power of the wrongdoer to cause harm, the victim is now in the position of power to determine the fate of the wrongdoer and decide whether to forgive them or not.5 Is this regard, the victim may see themselves in ‘a position of strength, respect and specialness.’6 This is when the wrongdoer’s remorse can play a vital role in softening the victim’s resentment and overcoming the destructive power-play that the wrongdoing may have had on their relationship. Through the wrongdoer’s remorse and the victim’s forgiveness both parties can be released from the effects of the past wrongdoing. In the ideal situation the wrongdoer’s remorse that inspires the victim’s forgiveness helps reunite the parties and restore equilibrium in the relationship between them. In this regard, the exchange of repentance for forgiveness between the parties helps to reunite them with mutual feelings of respect and trust. However, this understanding of forgiveness assumes that the parties are operating on an equal footing and that forgiveness, in restoring the relationship between the parties, can equalise power between them and achieve a state of peace and harmony in their relationship. This may be true in mutually respecting and trusting relationships but may not hold true where disparity in power exists between the parties. Indeed, the absence of remorse or the withholding of forgiveness viewed as a power struggle between victim and wrongdoer could say more about their own sense of pride than their sense of respect for themselves or each other and pride may not be an ideal sentiment upon which forgiveness should be based.7 But not all individuals are the same and therefore it would be presumptuous to assume that forgiveness works in the same way in all relationships. In psychology, in contrast, the granting or withholding of forgiveness is viewed more in terms of levels of mental and physical health than in terms of pride or respect. Thus, the withholding of forgiveness may not necessarily reflect the victim’s sense of self- respect or pride, but their inability to let go of anger and hostility towards the wrongdoer.8 Indeed, it has been found in the empirical research that people who forgive are happier and healthier than those who hold onto resentments.9 This seems to be the case whether forgiveness has been granted unconditionally or not. Viewed in this way forgiveness itself creates the pathway for healing for victims: without forgiveness, healing may be impossible. So understood, the granting of © 2016. Inter-Disciplinary Press. Author complimentary copy only. Distribution is prohibited. http://www.inter-disciplinary.net. Francesca Dominello and David H. Pereyra ix __________________________________________________________________ forgiveness, even when granted unconditionally, is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength and may assist victims