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I want to begin by thanking Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela for bringing the issue of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in South Africa and the perplexing, troubling, and provocative questions it raises into psychoanalytic discourse in such a compelling and thoughtful way. The issues she grapples with are not easy from a political or ethical viewpoint, and to add the psychoanalytic perspective makes the charge she has set for herself daunting indeed. I cannot possibly do justice to this rich and thought-provoking discussion of the process and dynamics of the TRC, so I will confine myself to a schematic overview and then give my thoughts on some of the most relevant points for psychoanalysis and the relationship between psychoanalytic theory and the TRC or any societal or political healing process. Gobodo-Madikizela wishes to extend her observations beyond the particular circumstances of the South African situation to any effort to establish some form of justice after what she calls gross human rights violations.
She discusses three topics. First, the TRC established a unique dia-logical space within which the deep fissures gouged in the nation of South Africa by apartheid could be healed. In this part of the paper, Gobodo-Madikizela describes the invitational nature of the TRC, which distinguishes it from tribunals that have the purpose of finding, trying, and punishing abusers. It is this welcoming approach that she feels creates a unique dialogical space in which perpetrator and victim can face