Argumentation Mar 2026 Open Access

Political Apology as an Argumentative Activity Type: Understanding the Strategic Maneuvers in Rutte’s 2022 Slavery Apology

Yeliz Demir Hacettepe University

Abstract

Recent decades have witnessed an increase in the practice of political apologies. This does not, however, mean that apologizing for their past human rights violations is easy for states. Political apology involves a number of complexities that urge the apologizing political authority to make argumentative maneuvers to manage or mitigate the challenges inherent in this activity type. This paper aims to set out the institutional constraints of political apology and characterize it as an argumentative activity type (AAT) by employing the four pragma-dialectical parameters: the initial situation, procedural and material starting points, argumentative means, and possible outcome (van Eemeren and Houtlosser 2002, 2005; van Eemeren 2010). In order to illustrate how the institutional preconditions and the characteristics of the activity type manifest themselves in an actual apology text, the paper presents an analysis of the 2022 apology delivered by the then-Prime Minister Mark Rutte for the Netherland’s role in slavery, focusing on his strategic maneuvers to justify the apology and increase its sincerity and sufficiency. The analysis of Rutte’s maneuvering with the topical potential, audience demand, and presentational devices reveals how he achieves a bold acknowledgement of wrongdoing, a clear and emphatic statement of apology, and indicates directions for recovery.

Journal
Argumentation
Published
2026-03-11
DOI
10.1007/s10503-026-09697-0
CompPile
Open Access
OA PDF Hybrid
Topics
archival research
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

References (52) · 1 in this index

  1. C Andone (2013)
    Argumentation in political interviews: Analyzing and evaluating responses to accusations …
     ↗
  2. K Andrieu (2009)
    Andrieu, K. 2009. Sorry for the genocide’: How public apologies can help promote national reconciliation. Mil…
    Millennium: Journal of International Studies  ↗
  3. M Augoustinos (2011)
    Augoustinos, M., M. B. Hastie, and M. Wright. 2011. Apologizing for historical injustice: Emotion, truth and …
    Discourse & Society  ↗
  4. Austin, J.L. 1962. How to do things with words. In , ed. J.O. Urmson and M. Sbisa. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  5. WL Benoit (1995)
    Accounts, excuses, and apologies: A theory of image restoration strategies
Show all 52 →
  1. T Bentley (2018)
    Bentley, T. 2018. Colonial apologies and the problem of the transgressor speaking. Third World Quarterly 39 (…
    Third World Quarterly  ↗
  2. RL Brooks (1999)
    When sorry isn’t enough: The controversy over apologies and reparations for human injustice
  3. S Cels (2015)
    Cels, S. 2015. Interpreting political apologies: The neglected role of performance. Political Psychology 36 (…
    Political Psychology  ↗
  4. J Chun (2015)
    Chun, J. 2015. Beyond ‘dissatisfaction’ and ‘apology fatigue’: Four types of Japanese official apology. Pacif…
    Pacific Focus  ↗
  5. RG Cowden (2018)
    Cowden, R. G., E. L. Worthington, S. Joynt, and C. Jakins. 2018. Do congruent apologies facilitate forgivenes…
    South African Journal of Psychology  ↗
  6. Y Demir (2016)
    Demir, Y. 2016. Maneuvering strategically in a press conference to diminish political responsibility for a cr…
    Journal of Argumentation in Context  ↗
  7. Y Demir (2023)
    Demir, Y., and J. Schaafsma. 2023. Argumentative strategies to evade state apologies: The Turkish example. Di…
    Discourse Studies  ↗
  8. RM Entman (1993)
    Entman, R.M. 1993. Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of Communication 43 (4): 51…
    Journal of Communication  ↗
  9. B Garssen (2022)
    Garssen, B. 2022. The argumentative style of the opening speech of a debate in the European Parliament. Journ…
    Journal of Argumentation in Context  ↗
  10. M Gibney (2008)
    The age of apology: Facing up to the past
  11. C Griswold (2007)
    Forgiveness: A philosophical exploration
     ↗
  12. S Harris (2006)
    Harris, S., K. Grainger, and L. Mullany. 2006. The pragmatics of political apologies. Discourse & Society 17 …
    Discourse & Society  ↗
  13. A Hernández (2021)
    Hernández, A. 2021. Journalists’ moves in political press conferences and their implications for accountabili…
    Journal of Argumentation in Context  ↗
  14. G Hofstede (2010)
    Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind: Intercultural cooperation and its impor…
  15. Z Kampf (2009)
    Kampf, Z. 2009. Public (non-) apologies: The discourse of minimizing responsibility. Journal of Pragmatics 41…
    Journal of Pragmatics  ↗
  16. N Labrie (2020)
    Labrie, N., A. Akkermans, and D. Hample. 2020. A dutch dose of dissent. Exploring the role of gender, educati…
    Journal of Argumentation in Context  ↗
  17. A Lazare (2004)
    On apology
  18. J Lind (2008)
    Sorry states: Apologies in international politics
  19. D Mohammed (2018)
    Argumentation in prime minister’s question time: Accusation of inconsistency in response …
     ↗
  20. National African-American Reparations Commission [NAARC]. 2022a. Dutch PM apologizes for 250 years of slavery…
  21. National African-American Reparations Commission [NAARC]. 2022b. Statement from professor Sir hilary beckles:…
  22. Nederland maakt excuses voor de slavernij, dit zijn de reacties. 2022. Caribisch Netwerk. Retrieved August 27…
  23. Netherlands formally apologizes for history of slavery, and its impact on descendants. 2022. NL Times. Retrie…
  24. SP Oliner (2008)
    Altruism, intergroup apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation
  25. D Páez (2010)
    Páez, D., M. Bobowik, and J.H. Liu. 2010. Official or political apologies and improvement of intergroup relat…
    Revista de Psicología Social  ↗
  26. MH Reijven (2024)
    Reijven, M.H. 2024. So i know how to do this": The prototypical argumentative pattern in U.S.A. presidential …
    Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict  ↗
  27. Rijksoverheid. (n.d.). Slavernijverleden Koninkrijk der Nederlanden. Rijksoverheid. Retrieved October 3. 2025…
  28. Rutte, M. 2022. Speech by Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the National Archives, The Hague [Speech transcript]. …
  29. Schaafsma, J., and M. Zoodsma. 2021. The Political Apology Database. Retrieved August 4, 2022 from the Politi…
  30. J Schaafsma (2021)
    Schaafsma, J., M. Zoodsma, and T. Sagherian-Dickey. 2021. Closing chapters of the past? Rhetorical strategies…
    Journal of Human Rights  ↗
  31. Searle, J.R. 1965. What is a speech act? In Philosophy in America, ed. M. Black, 221–239. London: Allen & Unwin.
  32. Searle, J.R. 1975. A taxonomy of illocutionary acts. In Language, mind, and knowledge, ed. K. Gunderson, 344–…
  33. Sterling, T., and A. Kuipers. 2022. Netherlands PM Rutte apologises for role of Dutch state in slavery. Reute…
  34. Suriname’s president welcome slavery apology but criticises approach. 2022, December 20. Dutch News, Retrieve…
  35. N Tavuchis (1991)
    Mea Culpa: A sociology of apology and reconciliation
  36. Thompson, J. 2008. Apology, justice, and respect: A critical defense of political apology. In The age of apol…
  37. UN International Law Commission. 2001, December 12. Report of the International Law Commission on the work of…
  38. FH van Eemeren (2010)
    Strategic maneuvering in argumentative discourse: Extending the pragma- dialectical theor…
     ↗
  39. Eemeren (2016)
    Identifying Argumentative Patterns: A Vital Step in the Development of Pragma-D…
    Argumentation
  40. FH van Eemeren (2023)
    van Eemeren, F.H., and B. Garssen. 2023. A functional diversity of argumentative styles. Discourse Studies 25…
    Discourse Studies  ↗
  41. FH van Eemeren (2004)
    A systematic theory of argumentation: The pragma- dialectical approach
  42. van Eemeren, F.H., and P. Houtlosser. 2002. Strategic maneuvering in argumentative discourse: Maintaining a d…
     ↗
  43. van Eemeren, F. H., and P. Houtlosser. 2005. Theoretical construction and argumentative reality: An analytic …
  44. FH van Eemeren (2017)
    Argumentation: Analysis and evaluation
  45. (2020)
    The rhetoric of official apologies: Critical essays
  46. M Zoodsma (2021)
    Zoodsma, M., and J. Schaafsma. 2021. Examining the ‘age of apology’: Insights from the political apology data…
    Journal of Peace Research  ↗
  47. M Zoodsma (2021)
    Zoodsma, M., J. Schaafsma, T. Sagherian-Dickey, and J. Friedrich. 2021. These are not just words. A cross- Na…
    International Review of Social Psychology  ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 0 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly May 2026
    Andrew Carnegie and the Rhetorical History of Business and Professional Communication ↗
    Joe Edward Hatfield
    rhetorical criticism teacher development professional writing archival research
  2. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication May 2026
    The User Experience of Virtual Reality for Longitudinal Writing: A Diary Study of Immersive Graduate Dissertation Composing Experience ↗
    Jason Tham; Rich Shivener; Niveditha Pookkottuvariam; Sarah Riddick
    rhetorical criticism graduate education technical communication archival research empirical research qualitative research
  3. Rhetoric of Health and Medicine Apr 2026
    Psyche or Soma?: An Analysis of the Medical Debates Over the Diagnosis and Treatment of “Transsexualism” ↗
    Samantha Rippetoe
    rhetorical criticism argument archival research
  4. Rhetoric of Health and Medicine Apr 2026
    To Recover is to Relearn: Techne and Eating Disorder Recovery ↗
    Molly McConnell
    rhetorical criticism archival research
  5. Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric Feb 2026
    Voices from Rock Bottom: Queering Addiction Recovery Rhetoric & Community Literacy ↗
    Danielle Bacibianco
    rhetorical criticism archival research multimodality literacy studies gender and writing public rhetoric community literacy