The politics of trauma and reconciliation

Abstract

This paper explores transitional justice as a way to bring an end to violence and consolidate peace. It approaches transitional justice as an expression of the 'never again' consensus to prevent or prosecute crimes against humanity. It explores transitional justice as an expression of globalizing law and the implications this has for the recovery of the 'rule of law' and 'political legitimacy' in the post conflict State. It takes Robert Meister (2002)'s formulation of the politics of victimhood, revenge and resentment in the relationship between the beneficiaries and the victims of injustice, as remaining at the centre of transitional justice politics in trying to decide on the balance between reconciliation and justice projects. It explores how human rights discourse has been used to de-politicise the 'victim' by adopting an individually embodied concept of violence as opposed to a structural one. It argues that transitional justice as an expression of globalizing law has been primarily directed at maintaining peace to achieve closure on past 'evil' but that the beneficiary-victim issue has re-emerged in the social justice movements and renewed desire for prosecutions.Ovaj rad istrazuje tranzicionu pravdu, kao nacin prekidanja nasilja i konsolidacije mira. On se bavi tranzicionom pravdom kao izrazom konsenzusa tipa 'nikad vise' - u smislu prevencije ili krivicnog procesuiranja zlocina protiv covecnosti. Rad ispituje tranzicionu pravdu kao izraz prava koje prolazi proces globalizacije, kao i implikacije koje to ima na obnavljanje vladavine prava i politickog legitimiteta u post-konfliktnoj drzavi. U pokusaju da se zauzme stav o balansu izmedju pomirenja i projekata vezanih za pravdu, za centar politike tranzicione pravde uzeta je formulacija politike zrtve, osvete i ozlojedjenosti u odnosu korisnika i zrtava nepravde, koju je dao Robert Meister (2002). Ispituje se kako je diskurs o ljudskim pravima koriscen da se depolitizuje 'zrtva', usvajanjem individualnog koncepta nasilja umesto strukturalnog. Tvrdi se da je tranziciona pravda kao izraz globalizovanog prava bila uglavnom usmerena na odrzavanje mira radi prevladavanja iskustva zla iz proslosti, ali da je pitanje neresenog odnosa 'korisnik nepravde - zrtva' ponovo aktualizovano u pokretima za socijalnu pravdu i obnovljenim zeljama za krivicno procesuiranje.