The Double Edge of Broadcasting Justice: Reconciliation and Division in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Speaker: Dr Gianluca Russo

Affiliation: Barcelona School of Economics

Location: Room 215, Chamberlain Building (#35), St Lucia Campus

Zoom: https://uqz.zoom.us/j/82603079317

Abstract: How do states rebuild after decades of institutionalized racial violence and societal trauma? We study the effect of one of the most iconic examples of transitional justice: South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which sought to rebuild national cohesion through public truth-telling. We exploit quasi-exogenous variation in exposure to live TRC radio broadcasts across South African suburbs to identify the effects of TRC hearings. We find that while the TRC fostered ethnic unity within the Black population, it simultaneously weakened interracial cohesion. Among Blacks, exposure to the TRC reduced interethnic violence, strengthened national identity, and increased interethnic mixing as measured by intermarriage and residential sorting. Between races, we document higher entrenchment, with lower rates of interracial marriage and higher racial residential segregation. Using administrative tax data, we also show that TRC exposure reduced compliance with affirmative action policies aimed at workplace integration. To explore mechanisms, we exploit daily variation in the race of TRC participants and the emotional content of their testimony. We find that Black testimonies significantly improved Black South Africans' perceptions of the TRC's legitimacy, while White South Africans remained largely unresponsive.