Transitional Justice and Reconciliation: Lessons from the Balkans - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1138851698 ISBN 13: 9781138851696

Publisher: Routledge, 2015

Synopsis

Scholars and practitioners alike agree that somehow the past needs to be addressed in order to enable individuals and collectives to rebuild trust and relationships. However, they also continue to struggle with critical questions. When is the right moment to address the legacies of the past after violent conflict? How can societies address the past without deepening the pain that arises from memories related to the violence and crimes committed in war? How can cultures of remembrance be established that would include and acknowledges the victims of all sides involved in violent conflict? How can various actors deal constructively with different interpretations of facts and history?

Two decades after the wars, societies in Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia – albeit to different degrees – are still facing the legacies of the wars of the 1990s on a daily basis. Reconciliation between and within these societies remains a formidable challenge, given that all three countries are still facing unresolved disputes either at a cross-border level or amongst parallel societies that persist at a local community level.

This book engages scholars and practitioners from the regions of former Yugoslavia, as well as international experts, to reflect on the achievements and obstacles that characterise efforts to deal with the past. Drawing variously on empirical studies, theoretical discussions, and practical experience, their contributions offer invaluable insights into the complex relationship between transitional justice and conflict transformation.

About this title

About the Author

Martina Fischer is Programme Director at the Berghof Foundation, Berlin; Olivera Simic is a Senior Lecturer in Law at Griffith University, Brisbane

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1138851698
• ISBN 13: 9781138851696
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 286
• Editor: Fischer Martina, Simic Olivera