In current debates about coming to terms with individual and collective wrongdoing the concept
of forgiveness has played an important but controversial role. For a long time the idea was
widespread that a forgiving attitude - overcoming feelings of resentment and the desire for
revenge - was always virtuous. Recently however this idea has been questioned. The
contributors to this volume do not take sides for or against forgiveness but rather examine its
meaning and function against the backdrop of a more complex understanding of moral repair in a
variety of social circumstantial and cultural contexts. The book aims to gain a
differentiated understanding of the European traditions regarding forgiveness revenge and
moral repair that have shaped our moral intuitions today whilst also examining examples from
other cultural contexts (Asia and Africa in particular) to explore how different cultural
traditions deal with the need for moral repair after wrongdoing.
