Front cover image for Sins Of The Parents The Politics of National Apologies in the United States

Sins Of The Parents The Politics of National Apologies in the United States

Debates have swirled around the question of national forgiveness for the past fifty years. Using two examples-the land claims of the Oneida Indians and the claims for reparations to Japanese Americans interned during World War II-Brian Weiner suggests a way of thinking about national misdeeds. Arguing beyond collective ""innocence"" or ""guilt, "" Sins of the Parents offers a model of collective responsibility to deal with past wrongs in such a way as to reinvigorate our notion of citizenship. Drawing upon the writings of Abraham Lincoln and Hannah Arendt, Weiner offers a definition ..
eBook, English, 2009
Temple University Press, Philadelphia PA, 2009
1 online resource (258 Seiten)
9781592133185, 9781439906149, 1592133185, 1439906149
1020173297
AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Past Wrongs, Present Responsibilities?1. The Promises of Great Nations: The Oneida Land Claims Cases2. Explaining (away) The Misdeeds of Political Ancestors: The Civil Liberties Act of 19883. The Birth and Death of Political Memories4. The Political Responsibilities of Citizens5. The Political Promise and Limitations of National ApologiesConclusion: Citizenship in the Shadows of MisdeedsNotesBibliographyIndex