Unspeakable Truths: Transitional Justice and the Challenge of Truth Commissions

by Priscilla B. Hayner

In a sweeping review of forty truth commissions, Priscilla Hayner delivers a definitive exploration of the global experience in official truth-seeking after widespread atrocities. When Unspeakable Truths was first published in 2001, it quickly became a classic, helping to define the field of truth commissions and the broader arena of transitional justice. This second edition is fully updated and expanded, covering twenty new commissions formed in the last ten years, analyzing new trends, and offering detailed charts that assess the impact of truth commissions and provide comparative information not previously available. Placing the increasing number of truth commissions within the broader expansion in transitional justice, Unspeakable Truths surveys key developments and new thinking in reparations, international justice, healing from trauma, and other areas. The book challenges many widely-held assumptions, based on hundreds of interviews and a sweeping review of the literature. This book will help to define how these issues are addressed in the future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Academic

376 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2002

Reviews

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well organized, complex, and extensive. An excellent book to pick up if you're interested in the subject.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great intro/overview of truth commissions, and somewhat their interaction with other elements of transitional justice. I liked her comparative framework, as too often truth commission studies focus on the "successful" examples, and Hayner also provided examples of what can go wrong and what it looks like when conflicts end without truth telling. Recommended for anyone unfamiliar with the field. Read for grad school.

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for a grad school class.
This book was very well researched and written and at times is incredibly dense due to the amount of detail. Very God for anyone interested in truth commissions in general or one of the commissions specifically. It's only getting three stars from me because it is heavily policy/procedure focused, which is great, just not my cup of tea.

[Renée Wyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful and comprehensive dive into modern-era truth commissions. It balances well the needs of survivors with pragmatic policy concerns, and entertains difficult questions useful to anyone determining the needs of a transitional justice system. Over all a must-read.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

well planned, executed and organized. still not entirely sure what my own verdict is on truth commissions, but Hayner provided a good deal of new information regarding the topic.

[José · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ayuda a entender el trabajo y las complicaciones de las comisiones de la verdad.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A relatively clear synopsis of truth commissions around the world.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent review of the history of truth commissions.

[Aditya Adhikari · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comprehensive and useful overview of experiences in transitional justice over recent decades, though analytically weak.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential if you want to be informed about a complex world.