TY - BOOK ID - 544926 TI - Public apology between ritual and regret : symbolic excuses on false pretenses or true reconciliation out of sincere regret? AU - Cuypers, Daniël AU - Janssen, Daniel AU - Haers, Jacques AU - Segaert, Barbara PY - 2013 VL - 86 SN - 9789042036956 9789401209533 9401209537 9781299879386 1299879381 9042036958 PB - Amsterdam Rodopi DB - UniCat KW - Advertising. Public relations KW - Criminal law. Criminal procedure KW - Sociology of law KW - Sociology of culture KW - Apologizing. KW - Apology (Psychology) KW - Social interaction UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:544926 AB - Since the 1990's we witness a rise in public apologies. Are we living in the ‘Age of Apology’? Interesting research questions can be raised about the opportunity, the form, the meaning, the effectiveness and the ethical implications of public apologies. Are they not merely a clever and easy device to escape real and tangible responsibility for mistakes or wrong done? Are they not at risk to become well-rehearsed rituals that claim to express regret but, in fact, avoid doing so? In a joint interdisciplinary effort, the contributors to this book, combining findings from their specific fields of research (legal, religious, political, linguistic, marketing and communication studies), attempt to articulate this tension between ritual and sincere regret, between the discourse and the content of apologies, between excuses that pretend and regret that seeks reconciliation. ER -