Abstract
Abstract Political apologies fulfill important functions that cannot be assumed by other practices in coming to terms with historical injustice. Since an apology implies an admission of guilt, but a political apology rarely fulfills the criteria for a collective attribution of guilt in a moral or legal sense, political apologies by proxy are notoriously ambiguous and open to interpretation. Following Hannah Arendt, I distinguish between the political and the moral meanings and functions of addressing guilt and responsibility. I examine the artistic nature of this practice and the conditions under which the symbolic gesture can be understood as sincere and authentic. Subsequently, I explore some of the risks, misunderstandings, and deceptions that are especially associated with apology by proxy.
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