Altruism, Intergroup Apology, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation

by Samuel P. Oliner

Overview

This book focuses on intergroup apology and its outcome. Over one hundred apologies have been made recently by leaders or groups to those they have harmed. Altruism offers examples such as truth and reconciliation commissions and also the recent example of Polish-Ukrainian leaders offering mutual apologies for a massacre that both groups inflicted on one another. Using cases that show a positive outcome, this hopeful book provides empirical evidence that there is a positive relationship between altruism, apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940013273016
Publisher:	Paragon House Publishers
Publication date:	10/11/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

SAMUEL P. OLINER is an Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Humboldt State University, in Arcata, California. He taught in the area of race relations, anti-Semitism, genocide, the Holocaust, altruism, prosocial behavior, intergroup apology and forgiveness. Dr. Oliner has written and co-authored many books, including The Altruistic Personality: Rescuers of Jews in Nazi Europe.

Editorial Reviews

Oliner has dedicated his research career to deepening our understanding of altruistic behavior. Now he has taken a lifetime of study, insight, and practice to the level of altruism between groups especially in the form of intergroup forgiveness. With the assistance of Piotr Olaf Zylicz, Oliner has produced the finest book on this topic I have ever read! In a world of intergroup conflict and hatred, this may well be the most urgent book of the decade. It is also a fitting tribute to Sam Oliner&#x

editor of Altruism and Health - Stephen G. Post

[This book is] the culmination of Oliner’s many years of research on altruism. It weaves together multiple threads of his studies into a golden tinged tapestry showing the power and pervasiveness of altruism and love. This tour de force should be read by individuals, government officials, peace workers, and anyone dealing in international relations and intergroup dialogues. Heeding its lessons could change the world.

author of Five Steps to Forgiveness - Everett Worthington

...a lucid and comprehensive account of the literature, including international movements on forgiveness and reconciliation. The stories are moving and they provide something badly needed in today’s violent world—hope for the future.

author of Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education - Nel Noddings

...an intellectually stimulating and morally significant work exploring one of the most important issues of our time.

author of After Tragedy and Triumph - Michael Berenbaum

In reading this book I was captivated not only by the thoughtfulness of Sam Oliner’s reasoning but also by the realization that it was written by one who personally suffered the ravages of the Holocaust. Orphaned, hunted, and terrorized for three years as a Jewish adolescent in Poland, Oliner demonstrates the remarkable ability to emerge from the darkness to shed light on the world of healing and to strive to improve the human condition for all.

University of British Columbia and Holocaust Survivor - Robert Krell