Transitional & Transnational Justice
About
The Transitional and Transnational Justice working group has been meeting since 2006 under the auspices of the Center for Global Studies. The Working Group draws together scholars from diverse disciplines and regional specializations at George Mason University to discuss and promote interdisciplinary and collaborative research on the ways in which local societies and global institutions respond to mass atrocity. Globalizing processes —from the emergence of a transnational human rights movement to the creation of international institutions to punish individuals responsible for crimes against humanity such as the International Criminal Court—have transformed the way societies and the international community attempt to deal with situation of mass violence.
A wide range of strategies has emerged, including truth commissions, amnesty laws, national and international criminal trials, reparations programs, vetting processes, and so on, that intersect, complement, and sometimes collide with, global efforts to combat impunity, achieve peace, and promote reconciliation. Critiques and assessments of these options have also increased, though the research tends to draw heavily from the world of practitioners and legal scholars. Of late social scientists have begun to weigh in on these debates, offering tools and frameworks of analysis from a diverse disciplinary perspectives, including anthropology, sociology, philosophy, and political science. That concerted scholarly attention to these options is emerging at the same time as new accountability mechanisms are proposed (indeed demanded in some instances) and instituted offers a moment ripe not only for assessing the efficacy of transitional and transnational justice efforts but also for raising foundational questions about the principles that underlie the various responses to mass atrocity.
The primary goal of the Working Group is to continue our examination of foundational assumptions behind responses to mass atrocity through several means: 1) continuing our individual research agendas; 2) sharing research findings through group meetings and workshops, public presentations, and follow-up discussions; and 3) conducting joint research on specific questions and presenting these research findings at diverse international conferences.
Past Events
"Accountability after Mass Atrocity: Latin American and African Examples in Comparative Perspective"
Conference featuring international scholars, activists and practitioners at he Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on May 6, 2009 in Washington, DC. For more details click here.
"Human Rights Tribunals in Latin America: the Trial of Fujimori in Comparative Perspective"
An all-day international symposium with scholars, activists and practitioners at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on October 2, 2008 in Washington, DC. For more details click here.
"The Human Rights Movement in Peru: Voices from Civil Society"
Panel Discussion featuring Peruvian human rights activists on Fairfax campus at the Johnson Center Cinema, September 30, 2008. More details and a cover story George Mason's newspaper Broadside.
'Silencing Civil Society: Political Violence and the Authoritarian State in Peru"
Book Launch & Panel Discussion on Fairfax campus in Mason Hall on April 3, 2008. For more details click here.
Contact
If you have any questions regarding the group, please contact Dr. Jo-Marie Burt.