Competing Memories
Truth and Reconciliation in Sierra Leone and Peru

A rigourous analysis of context in transitional justice, examining the successes and failures of truth and reconciliation commissions in post-conflict settings.

Rebekka Friedman (Author)

9781107185692, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 24 August 2017

214 pages, 6 b/w illus.
23.7 x 16 x 1.8 cm, 0.5 kg

'This book makes a critical intervention in post-conflict literature by defining the very real challenges that face truth commissions even after they have cleared standard bureaucratic hurdles. Just as 'procedural democracy' is seen by some as a necessary but insufficient ingredient for actual democracy, Friedman's work shows that 'procedural reconciliation' risks the same fate, and she offers an insightful contribution to the field of post-conflict scholarship.' Mneesha Gellman, Emerson College, Boston

The aftermath of modern conflicts, deeply rooted in political, economic and social structures, leaves pervasive and often recurring legacies of violence. Addressing past injustice is therefore fundamental not only for societal well-being and peace, but also for future conflict prevention. In recent years, truth and reconciliation commissions have become important but contentious mechanisms for conflict resolution and reconciliation. This book fills a significant gap, examining the importance of context within transitional justice and peace-building. It lays out long-term and often unexpected indirect effects of formal and informal justice processes. Offering a novel conceptual understanding of 'procedural reconciliation' on the societal level, it features an in-depth study of commissions in Peru and Sierra Leone, providing a critical analysis of the contribution and challenges facing transitional justice in post-conflict societies. It will be of interest to scholars and students of comparative politics, international relations, human rights and conflict studies.

1. Justice and reconciliation in enduring conflicts
2. Contextual variances, transitional justice and peace-building: a historical overview
3. Procedural reconciliation
4. Underdevelopment, peace-building, and marginilization: the establishment of a restorative agenda in Sierra Leone
5. Localism and pragmatic solidarity in Sierra Leone
6. The shining path and political violence: the establishment of a punitive human rights based approach
7. Memory activism and the politics of the past
8. Conclusions: context, transformation, and holism in transitional justice.

Subject Areas: War crimes [JWXK], Political oppression & persecution [JPVR], Human rights [JPVH], Political structure & processes [JPH], Political ideologies [JPF], Indigenous peoples [JFSL9], Rural communities [JFSF], Social classes [JFSC], Social discrimination & inequality [JFFJ], Violence in society [JFFE]