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Is it possible that the rise of authoritarian tendencies, even within the most established democracies, is the result of the failure of transitional justice strategies adopted by states to confront their violent pasts? In the article “‘The Strength Even to Comprehend the Incomprehensible’: Rereading Adorno in the Age of Authoritarian Resurgence”, published in the latest issue of the International Journal of Transitional Justice, Onur Bakiner attempts to answer this question by drawing on the reflections developed by Theodor W. Adorno in the post-World War II period, particularly in his lectures “What Does Coming to Terms with the Past Mean?” and “Education After Auschwitz”. Among other things, Adorno argued that the failure to work through the past leads to its suppression or distortion, making it susceptible to manipulation by contemporary politicians and paving the way for the resurgence of authoritarian forms of government. According to Bakiner, this aspect of Adorno’s thought is more relevant than ever today: he urges us to build the present with a conscious awareness of past injustices, to ensure that they are never repeated. 

The article is available on the journal’s website at this link.