[...]... the lessons and issues drawn from my work It proposes a working model that mental health workers Structure of the Book 9 can use to consider the impact of political violence on individuals, and where and how to orientate interventions It specifically argues for a more context-driven approach to trauma and healing of the survivors of political violence The role of mental health workers in societies in... learning from the South African process and focus particularly on the role of mental health workers in transitional processes, and how to develop contextdriven approaches to complex political traumas Transforming Societies after Political Violence is built on my direct experience of working in and about the processes of the South African TRC from 1995 until 2003, after which the TRC finally closed down... consensus and reconciliation To a great extent, the negotiated settlement resulted in political stability and brought an end to large-scale political violence It also provided a powerful lesson on the mutual dependency of former enemies who, within a context of continual crisis management and high levels of violence, were forced to accept B Hamber, Transforming Societies after Political Violence, DOI:... The Changing Nature of Violence in Transition Artificial Breaks in History Limited Understandings of Trauma Conclusion 10 xi 165 166 168 170 174 180 182 Transforming Transitional Societies 185 Introduction Political Violence and Professional Boundaries Social Context and Healing Transforming Transitional Societies Approaches... Different violent and political incidents can have distinctive cultural meanings and, thus, specific impacts This brings into question what reactions are defined as symptoms and, subsequently, where energies and resources for mental health work are put To one individual a nightmare might be irrelevant until a mental health worker brings it up; to another it might be reason to seek medical help; and yet to... promoted healing and they assess the psychological impact of its work Chapters 6–9 offer a more detailed reflection on my experiences along a range of themes, such as reparations, justice, truth, reconciliation and violence prevention Chapter 10 extracts some key theoretical learning and conclusions with regard to the role of mental health professionals in transforming transitional societies Specifically,... its political history It specifically asks the questions: Have South Africa and the victims and the survivors who were most affected by the political violence of the past found a way forward in dealing with this? Have the processes put in place to reckon with the apartheid past – namely the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) – been beneficial to victims of political violence and. .. overcrowded mini-bus in South Africa), often with extra payment being demanded for the additional passenger In the bushveld the presence of the tree indicates water; many believe it will protect you from lightning and evil spirits; and its leaves and berries have numerous healing properties B Hamber, Transforming Societies after Political Violence, DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-89427-0_1, © Springer Science + Business... comparison to the previous 5 years, when the Institute reported 5,387 deaths from political violence Psychological Impact of Political Violence Much of the focus of this book concerns the impact of political violence Below I will begin by making some general points concerning how we can understand the impact of political violence from a psychological perspective before concluding with the relevance of... marked by political violence and that the society is trying to emerge from this shadow Introduction 3 In South Africa – like most societies moving from one political system to another (Northern Ireland) or one regime to another (South Africa) – the transition was also defined by a complicated political settlement that gave birth to a range of new institutions, which reshaped social and political life . to www.springer.com/series/7298 Brandon Hamber Transforming Societies after Political Violence Truth, Reconciliation, and Mental Health Brandon Hamber, Ph.D INCORE University. come to about mental health and transitional societies in later chapters. I focus specifically on how the TRC dealt with mental health issues and wider questions