Social and political dimensions of forgiveness involves the strictly private and religious sphere of " forgiveness " . The notion of " forgiveness " is generally considered unusual in the political field . However , Hannah Arendt considers that the " faculty of forgiveness " has its place in public affairs . The philosopher believes that forgiveness can liberate resources both individually and collectively in the face of the irreparable . During an investigation in Rwanda on the discourses and practices of forgiveness after the 1994 genocide , sociologist Benoit Guillou illustrated the extreme polysemy ( multiple meanings ) of the word " forgiveness " but also the eminently political character of the notion . By way of conclusion of his work , the author proposes four main figures of forgiveness to better understanding , on the one hand , ambiguous uses and , on the other hand , the conditions under which forgiveness can mediate a resumption of social link
1994 genocide
Rwandan genocide
Forgiveness