Round and Round We Ran: On Circles, Reconciliation, and Relational Conscience

precis: Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) states that reconciliation is a process of “healing relationships that requires public truth sharing, apology, and commemoration that acknowledge and redress past harms.” Rooted in Indigenous practice, since the 1990s circles have been used as a tool in settings such as education, employment, and restorative justice. One example of this can be found in Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA). In this essay I explain how the CoSA approach to circles can be understood as a relational retooling of the conscience, where circle members collaborate to identify oppressive values that unconsciously influence behavior and attitudes, assisting the Core Member in challenging those values toward the common good. I then discuss how this approach to circles can be applied in the TRC’s ongoing reconciliatory processes to facilitate healing.