This talk is based on the speaker's decade-long engagement with comparative reconciliation research in the region and argues for rethinking the utility of the conceptual fixation on "reconciliation". By examining the adjacent concepts of xiezui/shazai/sajoe 謝罪 in the Sino-Japanese-Korean relational triad and chanhui 懺悔 in intra-Chinese coming to terms with the past, their classical roots and contemporary application in the international as well as domestic political arenas, the presentation will attempt to demonstrate the peculiar difficulties hindering political reconciliation in the region in relation to these concepts and the promising potentials of conceptual openness in comparative research.

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