Forgiveness and hope : re-building fractured communities

This chapter draws on Kelly Oliver's notions of social forgiveness and 'heroic particularity' and a cross section of papers from this volume to look at the agency in forgiveness. I argue that forgiveness exists as meaning rather than referring to absolution or even exoneration. Concentrating on this creation of meaning, this chapter considers the role of forgiveness in bringing together fractured communities by looking at a particularly case study: the Civil War in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. While forgiveness is fundamental in rebuilding such fractured communities, I also argue that this must be accompanied by a sense of hope - or a vision that a better world is possible. Like forgiveness, this is an active rather than a passive hope- achieved through actions and a sense of agency.