Transforming Societies after Political Violence explores the relationship between the individual and the political and social contexts in which victims or survivors of violence find themselves. The book delves into the complex interplay between individual psychological processes and macro-political interventions such as truth commissions. During times of political transition, it is vital that there exists a bridge between what takes place at the national or political level and the personal experience of the victim or survivor of political violence. This is where the work in and around transitional justice processes—undertaken by policymakers, survivors themselves, and those working to assist or support them—can be of great benefit. Supporting victims, once they are ready, to be active agents within their environment is critical. In short, the book demonstrates how dealing with the legacy of individual experience of violence and collective processes of peacebuilding can be better integrated to make a lasting peace in societies in transition.
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From the reviews: "Hamber brings an acute clinical sensibility and sophisticated research mind to a complex problem: state handling of reconciliation after a catastrophic upheaval. … his main focus in this book is the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) process. … a must read for any psychologist working with trauma survivors, especially postconflict trauma survivors. It calls upon a rich literature–from psychoanalysis … to trial transcripts of commissions; it integrates all these sources to provide a truly unique contribution to the psychology of trauma." (Don Dutton, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 54 (47/3), November, 2009)
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It is a momentous day for a nation when war is over or a brutal regime ends. For victims and survivors of political atrocities, it is also a time to process trauma, to anticipate the future, to be heard—and to be healed. Transforming Societies after Political Violence offers a template for those tasked with providing truth, justice, reconciliation, and healing. This interdisciplinary study identifies complex relationships between recovery from political violence and the psychological processes that accompany widespread social change, showing how these can be integrated to strengthen both individual and society. Author Brandon Hamber draws on his extensive experience in South Africa and comparative examples from elsewhere to examine the centrality of mental health issues in transitional justice, and the social, cultural, and identity issues involved in meeting the needs of victims. In discussing reparations (what the author terms "repairing the irreparable"), the power of ambivalence, and especially concepts of closure, he eloquently sets out professionals’ roles in helping survivors move beyond the toxic past without covering it up or becoming mired in it. Among the critical areas covered: The vital groundwork that must be made before reconciliation can occur. Creating context-driven approaches to political and social trauma. Assessing truth, documenting the past, and avoiding re-traumatization. The role of mental health professionals in truth commission processes. Survivors as agents for justice, from civic participation to giving public witness. Reparations—symbolic meaning, national value, personal benefits. Promoting reconciliation and preventing further violence. A work that holds profound insight into the meaning of "doing justice," Transforming Transitional Societies is required reading for social and peace psychologists, as well as students and researchers of conflict and peace studies, transitional justice, and intergroup and international relations.
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A definitive resource on the transition from political violence
29 Jun 2009
By Nina Thomas
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
How countries recover from political atrocity is a question that has confronted dozens of regimes around the world for decades. The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission is an iconic symbol of what for some is a profound achievement in restructuring a "peaceful society." In "Transforming Societies After Political Violence: Truth, Reconciliation, and Mental Health" Dr. Brandon Hamber applies his many years of experience both within the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and beyond it to a careful analysis of the complex issues - legal, historical, social, psychological - embedded in such a process. It is his astute attention to these complexities that make his book so rich. Hamber says that "if the TRC process and working with the victims appearing before it taught me anything it was that the psychological life of the survivor of extreme violence is cut through by this complexity." His work is clear testimony to that statement. "Transforming Societies After Political Violence" is a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, scholars and policy makers. If you read one book about countries emerging from their violent pasts, it should be Dr. Brandon Hamber's "Transforming Societies After Political Violence." I will rely on this volume in my ongoing work and I predict it will become a definitive text in this area.
Nina K. Thomas, Ph.D., ABPP,
Chair, Specialization in Trauma and Disaster Studies, NYU Postodoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis
Co-Chair, Relational Orientation, NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis
Clinical Associate Professor, NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis
Nina K. Thomas, Ph.D., ABPP,
Chair, Specialization in Trauma and Disaster Studies, NYU Postodoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis
Co-Chair, Relational Orientation, NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis
Clinical Associate Professor, NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis
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