Thin sympathy: A strategy to thicken transitional justice

Abstract

In helping deeply divided societies come to terms with a troubled past, transitional justice often fails to produce the intended results. Thin Sympathy argues that the acquisition of a basic understanding of what has taken place in the past will enable the development of a more durable transitional justice process. Paving the way : making transitional justice work better -- Background and history of conflict in Uganda -- Slow decay or intentional neglect? : Long-term issues with post-conflict justice in situations of ongoing violence and repression -- The thin sympathy hypothesis and the sympathetic continuum -- Switching on the thin sympathetic response : engaging the population after atrocity -- Manufacturing thin sympathy -- Thickening the transitional justice strategy -- Bridging the divide : applying thin sympathy in other divided societies -- The strength of thin sympathy and transitional justice