Peace and Reconciliation

This paper discusses some of the challenges and opportunities faced by youth as active participants in processes of post-conflict justice and reconciliation in Africa. I draw on field data from South Sudan and Uganda, two countries emerging from decades of brutal and inter-related civil war where youngsters often bore the brunt of the violence. Qualifying the uncritically assumed association between transitional justice, customary law, and reconciliation, research among youth from both countries suggests that these are potentially, but not necessarily, linked processes. I argue for a more nuanced approach to post-conflict justice based on a close examination of the differential ways in which these efforts impact female and male youth in transitional societies. 

The article explores Patricia Chater’s Crossing the Boundary Fence (1988) within the framework of Macherey’s (1978) concept of “significant silences”. I argue that in her representation of the decolonisation of Zimbabwe, the writer circumvents pertinent areas that are central to any discussion of the colonial history of Zimbabwe and the liberation war against colonialism. Among the areas the text is silent on is the role of white people in institutionalising racism in the colony and the contributions of ZAPU and the Ndebele during the war of liberation. These silences are informed by a reconciliation agenda which makes silence integral to its realisation.

This paper proposes the existence of a collective self-healing process, in which parties to intractable conflicts treat their conflicts’ wounds independent of their opponents. This process is different from the reconciliation process, in which parties heal past offences collaboratively. Various theoretical aspects of the proposed process are discussed, including the different domains of parties that take part in this process (i.e., the social, economic, political and psychological), the conflict situations in which this process is relevant, and the factors that influence it. The process is exemplified as it has been conducted by the Israeli-Palestinians.

This essay examines how political leaders apologize for historical injustices. Specifically, we analyze Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's apology for the head tax imposed upon Chinese immigrants. The prime minister's apology was historic in that it marked the first time a Canadian Prime Minister formally apologized for the head tax. We argue that Harper used a combination of the frontier myth and collective apology rhetoric in his expression of remorse toward the Chinese-Canadian community. While controversial, this rhetoric created a discursive space for a constructive and strengthened relationship between the Chinese-Canadian community and the Canadian government.

I wrote this paper in 2010 based on the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) annual reports, while still working in the UNDP run Peace and Recovery project. The UNDP Bougainville Programme implemented a reconciliation exercise in 2008, after 2008 was declared by the late President Joseph Kabui as the “Year for Weapons Disposal and Reconciliation”. A Peace and Reconciliation Ministry & Division was immediately established by ABG to oversee the peace and reconciliation process. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the methodology used by UNDP and ABG.

Drawing from a range of interdisciplinary literature, this paper examines the efficacy of prosecutions as a method of dealing with the past in post-conflict Northern Ireland. The concept and background of transitional justice are examined, as well as an introduction to the conflict in Northern Ireland known as ‘the Troubles’. The question of whether there is an obligation to prosecute human rights abuses under International law is also asked. Examining the issue of prosecutions from both a practical and theoretical perspective, the arguments for the use of prosecutions are briefly examined, followed by a more thorough discussion of the negative aspects. The viability of prosecutions is also examined, as well as their effectiveness in light of the Good Friday Agreement. The paper then turns to the question of truth, which is defined, before discussion of the potential benefits to society of a truth process. The dissertation concludes by recommending a truth process for Northern Ireland as a method of dealing honestly and effectively with the past, as well as allowing society to move towards a shared future.

In societies that are emerging from conflict, it is important to focus on the identification and the creation of tools that allow for nonviolent resolutions of the tensions that were aroused as a consequence of the violence.  This article contributes to that project by offering reflections on the importance of a dialogic truth in the process of reconciliation within and between communities. This is addressed, in particular, through the exploration of a space where the views of both victims and perpetrators are considered and expressed through stories that are intended to affect both individuals and the community.  The discussion brings together notions of social healing, theories of conflict transformation, and experiences of reconciliation, with a particular focus on the African context.