Apology and Confession: Comparing Sino-Japanese and German-Jewish Intellectual Resources for Reconciliation

One of the more common Chinese terms used for "reconciliation" is hejie. "He" can signify peace and harmony. "Jie", on the other hand, conjures up images of untying (jiekai) and understanding (lijie). To untie "knots in the heart" (xinjie) is, therefore, one way of conceptualizing reconciliation in Chinese culture. This chapter focuses on the untying of another knot, the knot of shazai, in light of comparative research. It examines traditional narratives of apology (or confession) as intellectual resources for political reconciliation, while at the same time calling attention to the peculiar obstacles they sometimes present. Reflecting on the term "political reconciliation", one can come to two opposing directions: political reconciliation as "reconciling" with the prevalent power-political status, or as the introjection of "reconciliation" in its moral and theological sense into politics. The chapter highlights the Jewish idea of "confession" as an alternative response to past wrongdoing.