Closing the Books
Transitional Justice in Historical Perspective

An analysis of the history of transitional justice from the fifth century BC to the present, first published in 2004.

Jon Elster (Author)

9780521839693, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 6 September 2004

312 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.1 cm, 0.53 kg

'… thought-provoking …'. The Times (Law)

An analysis of transitional justice - retribution and reparation after a change of political regime - from Athens in the fifth century BC to the present. Part I, 'The Universe of Transitional Justice', describes more than thirty transitions, some of them in considerable detail, others more succinctly. Part II, 'The Analytics of Transitional Justice', proposes a framework for explaining the variations among the cases - why after some transitions wrongdoers from the previous regime are punished severely and in other cases mildly or not at all, and victims sometimes compensated generously and sometimes poorly or not at all. After surveying a broad range of justifications and excuses for wrongdoings and criteria for selecting and indemnifying victims, the 2004 book concludes with a discussion of three general explanatory factors: economic and political constraints, the retributive emotions, and the play of party politics.

Part I. The Universe of Transitional Justice: 1. Athens in 411 and 403 BC.
2. The French restorations in 1814 and 1815
3. The larger universe of cases
Part II. Analytics of Transitional Justice: 4. The structure of transitional justice
5. Wrongdoers
6. Victims
7. Constraints
8. Emotions
9. Politics.

Subject Areas: International humanitarian law [LBBS], Human rights [JPVH], Political structure & processes [JPH]