Workshop: The Past, Present, and Future of Transitional Justice
22 June 2023, ISS The Hague

This workshop explores the long-term history of transitional justice strategies, such as tribunals, reparations, amnesty, truth and reconciliation commissions, and communal commemoration. Because transitional justice scholarship focuses primarily on recent conflicts, it remains difficult to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of such measures. Does transitional justice actually bring peace and reconciliation? And will future generations uphold the peace mechanisms of the wartime generation?

To answer these questions, this interdisciplinary workshop brings together specialists and practitioners in the fields of transitional justice, peace and security studies, and history. Our aim is to compare transitional justice strategies past and present. What lessons, if any, can we draw form past strategies? How can an evaluation of current-day practices help us understand the failures and success of transitional justice? Finally, how can we apply these insights in the classroom? The workshop will conclude with a session where panelists  reflect on best practices in applied science.

Program

9h30–10h15 Walk-in with coffee and tea

10h15 Welcome
David van der Linden (RUG)

10h30–12h00 Session 1: The view from the past
Panelists: Nanci Adler (NIOD), Berber Bevernage (Ghent), Sherilyn Bouyer (RUG)

12h00–13h30 Lunch

13h30–15h00 Session 2: The burden of memory
Panelists: Shyamika Jayasundara (ISS), Niké Wentholt (UvH), Patrick de Vries (Mircury)

15h00–15h30 Coffee break

15h30–17h00 Session 3: Applied science
Panelists: Joanne Schuitemaker (Scholierenacademie RUG), Paula O’Donohoe (Euroclio)

17h00–18h00 Drinks