Unlike many other peace accords, the Good Friday Agreement signed in 1998 did not include a formal mechanism for 'dealing with the past' in Northern Ireland. Despite that omission, the politics of truth recovery and its assumed links to reconciliation have been a constant theme in the transition from conflict in the jurisdiction.

This book critically explores that relationship. It draws extensively from the international context and the author's experience over several years of grassroots work exploring 'dealing with the past' style initiatives. It charts the myriad of styles of truth...