Wounded leadership, wounded institutions
Nomfundo Mogapi, Executive Director at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), urges that the areas of mental health and psychosocial support should receive more attention in the transitional justice practice, considering psychosocial healing not only indispensable for victims, but also for the leadership and institutions. Nomfundo Mogapi is currently the Executive […]
The power of culture
Hasini Haputhanthri, museologist and development consultant based in Colombo, demands from the transitional justice field to focus more on the cultural sphere, including arts, media and educational institutions. In her view, museums for example act as agents of cultural change. Hasini Haputhanthri is a museologist and development consultant based in Colombo. She speaks regularly on […]
Relationships of power
Martín Abregú, vice president for International Programs at the Ford Foundation, deals with the dynamics and interaction between global expertise and local knowledge in the context of transitional justice. With this in view, he calls on actors to listen and learn from each other. Martín Abregú is vice president for International Programs at the Ford […]
Help instigate processes, be a catalyst, not promise the sky
Pablo de Greiff, human rights scholar and activist, was the first UN Special Rapporteur on Transitional Justice. In the context of the racial justice campaigns that are currently taking place in the USA, he believes that the time has come for transitional justice to provide recognition in a way that people are clearly calling for. […]
Change of minds, change of behaviour
Anita Mitic, who was born as Yugoslavia broke out in civil war, describes in an interview what can be learned from former Yugoslavia in terms of transitional justice. What the transitional justice processes would have shown is the necessity to address behavioral norms and the powerful role of political elites. Anita Mitic, who was born […]
Looking beyond legalism
Emma Leslie, Executive Director of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies in Cambodia, reflects in an interview on transitional justice processes in Cambodia. Instead of legalistic processes, she urges for people-centered approaches grounded in the Cambodian culture and system. Emma, originally from Australia, has lived in Cambodia for over two decades. In 2016 she […]
What future for transitional justice?
This blog series examines the field of transitional justice through a critical lens, asking challenging questions and exploring ways in which it is relevant today. Through a small number of carefully-selected interviews, the series intends to provoke debate within the field and help lead to innovation and adaptation. This blog series examines the field of […]
From toe to head
Football is a popular sport all over the world, but the beautiful game has an ugly side as well: anti-Semitic, racist, sexist and homophobic chants and abuse in and outside the stadiums. The Tüpfelhausen – das Familienportal e.V. community organisation in Leipzig has developed its own unique response to the surge of the far right […]
9th European History Forum
In May 2020 the 9th European History Forum took place as a fishbowl talk on the internet. The conference was dedicated to the topic “Hidden Memory? Women in the Second World War in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. Role models, experiences of violence, taboos”. Impressions of 18.05.2020: Fishbowl – Women in World War II The […]
When wounds are passed on
This article explores the importance of collective trauma for conflict transformation by sharing practical examples from peace work in the post-civil war context in Lebanon. Violent conflicts can traumatise entire communities, leading to shared feelings of mistrust and fear, coupled with rigid narratives of victimhood and the silencing of guilt. These patterns can be passed […]