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Some scholars have called the post-Cold War era the “age
of apology” because political, religious, and community leaders across
the world apologized for a variety of transgressions that occurred in
the past, as well as in the present. The papers on this panel examine
the rhetorical dimensions of some of those apologies both at the
national and international level. These apologies serve to repair the
images of political leaders, but also repair communal relationships
harmed by historical transgresssions. The
papers on this panel broaden theoretical understandings of apologetic
discourse, offer greater insight into the importance of political
leadership and apology, and provide an understanding of public
apologies in the reconciliation process.
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