Historical Justice in International Perspective
How Societies Are Trying to Right the Wrongs of the Past

This book's essays analyze a broad array of case studies dealing with redress of historical injustices.

Manfred Berg (Edited by), Bernd Schaefer (Edited by)

9780521876834, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 October 2008

332 pages
23.6 x 15.6 x 2.5 cm, 0.58 kg

"...this collection makes a valuable contribution to the growing body of scholarship on historical justice, which is precisely what it sets out to do." -Sarah Pinto, Canadian Journal of History

This book makes a valuable contribution to debates on redress for historical injustices by offering case studies from nine countries on five continents. The contributors examine the problems of material restitution, criminal justice, apologies, recognition, memory and reconciliation in national contexts as well as from a comparative perspective. Among the topics discussed are the claims for reparations for slavery in the United States, West German restitution for the Holocaust, the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the efforts to prosecute the perpetrators of the Khmer Rouge's mass murders in Cambodia and the struggles of the indigenous people of Australia and New Zealand. The book highlights the diversity of the ways societies have tried to right past wrongs as the demand for historical justice has become universal.

Part I. The Politics of Restitution: 1. An avalanche of history: the 'collapse of the future' and the rise of reparations politics John Torpey
2. Reparations, gender, and ethnicity: why, when and how democratic governments get involved Angelika von Wahl
Part II. Reparations and Restitution: 3. Historical continuity and counterfactual history in the debate over reparations for slavery Manfred Berg
4. Disputed victims: the German discourse on restitution for Nazi victims Constantin Goschler
5. Greenlanders displaced by the Cold War: relocation and compensation Svend Aage Christensen and Kristian Soby Kristensen
Part III. Memory and Recognition: 6. Apologizing for Vichy in contemporary France Julie Fette
7. Limited rehabilitation? Historical observations on the legal rehabilitation of foreign citizens in today's Russia Andreas Hilger
8. Politics, diplomacy, and accountability in Cambodia: severely limiting personal jurisdiction in prosecution of perpetrators of crimes against humanity Steve Heder
Part IV. Reconciliation: 9. Settling histories, unsettling pasts: reconciliation and historical justice in a settler society Bain Attwood
10. Fitting Aotearoa into New Zealand: politico-cultural change in a modern bicultural nation Richard Hill and Brigitte Boenisch-Brednich
11. The politics of judging the past: South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission Bronwyn Leebaw
Part V. Conclusion: 12. 'The issue that won't go away' James McAdams.

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], General & world history [HBG]