Forgiveness and the practice of compromise in post-apartheid South Africa.

Forgiveness has become a striven-for societal goal in post-conflict societies in the past decade or two. The rise of 'policies of forgiveness' can, for instance, be illustrated by the increasing popularity of truth commissions to deal with past human rights violations. In this context, forgiveness is advocated as part of a measures to deal with past human rights violations and as a means to reconciliation. In relation to the sociology of compromise, the capacity for forgiveness is one of a number of mediating factors that make it easier for people to live together after conflict and to practice tolerance; other such mediators include the ability to transcend divided memories of the former conflict, senses of the fairness of the concessions, trust and, perhaps most crucially the social networks in which people are located