Reconciliation studies are concerned with the processes of rebuilding and improving damaged
relationships after major wrongdoings. They focus on factors such as law economics and
international relations as well as on elements such as emotions and ethics culture and
religion media and education. Reconciliation research therefore requires a transdisciplinary
approach to analyse both the procedures leading to the recognition of truth as well as those
in which justice is administered both the impact of public apologies and cooperation
agreements both the implementation of memory policies and civil society initiatives both the
outcomes of trauma therapy and intergenerational encounter groups. While on the surface the
relationships in question are those between states groups organisations and individuals at
a deeper level reconciliation always addresses and involves many axes of damaged relationships:
those with others (intergroup) those with one's own group (intragroup) those with oneself
those with the environment and those with transcendence. Reconciliation studies deal
therefore with a much broader spectrum of relationships than that taken into consideration by
neighbouring disciplines such as conflict resolution and peace studies.In this volume
Francesco Ferrari and Davide Tacchini brought together examples of Leiner's approach to
reconciliation studies as a cooperative project of different disciplines. The articles are
divided into two sections: 1. A series of case studies about Japan-South Korea relations
German-Czech reconciliation Nagorno-Karabakh conflict using the methods of Martin Leiner
Sayyid Qutb view of American society and South Africans revisiting TRC. 2. A series of
theoretical clarifications on reconciliation and moderation from a Palestinian point of view
evolutionary game theory looking at reconciliation processes by a team of economists grace and
reconciliation from a Catholic theological point of view philosophical reflections on the
concept of reconciliation after Auschwitz cognitive and affective aspects in reconciliation
from a Catholic theological point of view ecology and spatiality of reconciliation seen by a
social geographer and political dimensions of reconciliation.
