How should past injustices be addressed in order to allow victims and perpetrators to overcome
their memories and move on towards a better future? After the end of the Cultural Revolution
and the period of martial law these questions confronted the leadership on both sides of the
Taiwan Straits. The process of finding answers and implementing them has been handicapped by
historical political and cultural factors. As party interests were at stake in terms of
political legitimacy and social cohesion policies of rehabilitation and compensation had to be
adopted. The authors approach the issue from the perspectives of groups and individuals
affected: intellectuals indigenous peoples political widows or religious groups. The texts
are based on a wide variety of sources and make relevant secondary literature from Taiwan and
China accessible to the reader.
