The Politics of Building Peace

Transitional Justice, Reconciliation Initiatives and Unification Policies in War-torn Societies

(2009 – 2012, DFG-funded)

   

The aim of The Politics of Building Peace is to analyse under which conditions the peacebuilding tools transitional justice, reconciliation initiatives and unification policies consolidate sustainable peace after violent, civil conflict. Through asking what politics operate behind these tools and if, and how, they change the relationship between the parties to the conflict from antagonism to acceptance, it contributes to the discipline of peace studies where it can be categorised under critical or post-positive approaches. Empirically, the objective of the project is threefold: first, it analyses how the emergence and functioning of the peacebuilding tools are conditioned by the prevailing domestic and international postconflict politics and what implication this has on their output, second, it explores how this particular output affects the local relationship between the parties to the conflict and whether it leads to change, and, third, it considers additional factors – e.g. implementation – which have a bearing on the effectiveness of the tools in promoting peace. To this end, the project team conducts in-depth field research in four war-torn societies: Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. Conceptually, the objective of The Politics of Building Peace is to contribute a new and innovative approach to peace studies through developing and applying a discursive framework of analysis. Its output, both in terms of its conceptual underpinnings and its comparative insights into the politics of building peace in war-torn societies, is of high relevance for academics, practitioners and people affected by violent conflict and will lead to concrete policy recommendations.

Team

	Prof. Dr. Susanne Buckley-Zistel Professor at the Center Ketzerbach 11 (room 01.004) 35032 Marburg Telefon: +49 64 21 / 28 24 507 s.buckley-zistel@staff.uni-marburg.de
	Christian Braun Research Fellow "The Politics of Building Peace" Ketzerbach 11 35032 Marburg Telefon: +49 64 21 / 28 24 485 braunchr@staff.uni-marburg.de
	Dr. Teresa Koloma Beck Research Associate "The Politics of Building Peace" Ketzerbach 11 35032 Marburg Telefon: +49 30 / 40 50 55 90 teresa.koloma@gmail.com
	Friederike Mieth Research Fellow "The Politics of Building Peace" Ketzerbach 11 35032 Marburg Telefon: +49 64 21 / 28 24 971 friederike.mieth@staff.uni-marburg.de

Activities

University of Marburg, Transitional Justice Structured PhD Programme MARA

Zentrumstage Conference 2010 - "Transitional justice - Local Conflicts, Global Norms"

Panel "Theories of / for Transitional Justice" Call for a ECPR 2011 Panel – Deadline for Proposals: 01 February 201. CfP

CfP IJCV Special Issue on "Transitions from Violence. The Impact of Transitional Justice". CfP

Panel "Transitional Justice als Intervention" AFK-Jahreskolloquium 2011.

 

Publications

forthcoming

Buckley-Zistel, S. / Koloma Beck, T. / Braun, C. / Mieth, F. (eds.): Transitional Justice Theories, Routledge, 2013 (table of contents)

Buckley-Zistel, S. / Schäfer, S. (eds.): Memorials in Times of Transition, Intersentia, 2013.

Bonacker, T. / Buckley-Zistel, S. (eds.): International Journal of Conflict and Violence, Special Issue on "Transitions from Violence. The Effects of Transitional Justice".


published:

Buckley-Zistel, S. / Stanley, R. (eds.): Gender in Transitional Justice. Palgrave, (2012), (sample chapter)

Buckley-Zistel, S. / Zolkos, M.: Das Gender von Gerechtigkeit nach Krieg, Gewalt und Unterdrückung. Geschlechterdimensionen der Transitional Justice. In: Gender in Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (edited by Bettina Engels and Corinna Gayer), Nomos (2011), 135-149.

Buckley-Zistel, S. / Kater, T. (eds.): Nach Krieg, Gewalt und Repression: Der schwierige Umgang mit der Vergangenheit (Nomos, 2011). Link

Buckley-Zistel, S/Oettler, A.: Was ist Transitional Justice? In: Nach Krieg, Gewalt und Repression. Vom schwierigen Umgang mit der Vergangenheit (edited by Susanne Buckley-Zistel and Thomas Kater). Baden-Baden, Nomos (2011), 21-37.

Buckley-Zistel, S.: Der schwierige  Umgang mit der Vergangenheit. In: Nach Krieg, Gewalt und Repression. Vom schwierigen Umgang mit der Vergangenheit (edited by Susanne Buckley-Zistel and Thomas Kater). Baden-Baden, Nomos 2011, S. 7-20.

Buckley-Zistel, S.: Narration und Transition. Vom Umgang mit der Vergangenheit in Wahrheitskommissionen nach extremer Gewalt. In: Bürgerkriege erzählen (edited by Sabina Ferhadbegović and Brigitte Weiffen). Konstanz: University of Konstanz Press (2011), 289-302.

Buckley-Zistel, S./Mieth, F./Viebach, J.: Transitional Justice und Entwicklung in Afrika. Die Friedens Warte, Vol. 85, No. 1-2, pp. 83-109 (2010). Link

Conference Presenations

Buckley-Zistel, S.: Which Lessons to Be Learned from Past Experiences?, conference Criminal Justice and Accountability in Arab Transition Prozesses, Cairo, Egypt, 25.–27. September 2012.

Braun, C.: Ethnische Spaltung in Bosnien sowie zum Genozid in Srebrenica. Auf Einladung der NGO Pharos e.V. Višegrad und Srebrenica, Sept. 2012

Buckley-Zistel, S./Braun, C./Koloma-Beck, T./Mieth, F.: Convention of and presentations on Panel Politics and Politicisation of Transitional Justice after Violent Conflict,  IPSA Madrid 08.-12. July 2012.

Buckley-Zistel, S.: Redressing Sexual Violence in Transitional Justice and the Labelling of Women as ‘Victims’, at the conference Gendering Conflict and Post-Conflict Terrains: New Challenges and Opportunities, University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, 18.-19. Mai 2012.

Braun, C.: The Srebrenica – Potočari Memorial as an example for the Politicisation of memory in divided societies. Conference: Towards a common past? Conflicting Memories on Contemporary Europe, Lund, May 2012.

Braun, C.: Reconciliation or Manifestation of Conflict? The Impact pf Transitional Justice Mechanisms on conflict related discourses in Srebrenica. Workshop on Consolidation of Democracy in the Western Balkans. Auf Einladung der Yasar University, Izmir, March 2012.

Buckley-Zistel, S.: „Transitional Justice“ als Strategie internationaler Akteure,  22. Frühjahrsakademie Sicherheitspolitik Gewalt – Staatlichkeit – Demokratie – Frieden? Neue Wege der Interventionsforschung, Lambrecht/Pfalz und Brüssel, 11.-21. März 2012. 

Buckley-Zistel, S.: Transitional Justice in Research and Practice, im Rahmen des DFG Graduiertenkolleg Bruchzonen der Globalisierung, Centre for Area Studies, Universität Leipzig, 18.1.2012.

Koloma-Beck, T.: Popular Violence in a Transitional Democracy. Marginalization and Violence in Postwar Mozambique. German Political Science Association (DVPW) Conference Democracy and Violence, 04.2012.

Mieth, F.: Coexistence in Sierra Leone, internationaler Workshop Historical Anthropology of the Practices of Mass Violence, Maison Heinrich Heine, Paris, 24.-26. November 2011

Koloma-Beck, T.: Frieden er-leben. Friedenskonsolidierung im Alltagsmilieu. Ein Beitrag zur politischen Soziologie von Nachkriegsgesellschaften. Sektionstagung Internationale Politik der DVPW, München, 6.-8.10.2011.

Buckley-Zistel, S.: Women, Violence, Victims. Redressing Sexual Violence through Transitional Justice. Center for Conflict Studies and Interntaional Center for War Crimes, University of Marburg conference Victims of International Crimes, Marburg, 6.-8.10.2011.

Mieth, F.: In the Shadow of Transitional Justice: Unraveling Local Perceptions and Practices in Dealing with the Past in Sierra Leone. PACSA-PRIO  conference The Local in Global Understandings of War and Peacemaking: Anthropological and Inter-disciplinary Perspectives, Nicosia, Cyprus, 1.-2.9.2011.

Koloma Beck, T.: Ignoring the Embodied Past - Implicit Memory in Transitional Processes. ECPR 2011, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, 24.-27.8.2011.

Buckley-Zistel, S.:Women, Violence, Victims. Redressing Sexual Violence through Transitional Justice. ECPR 2011, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, 24.-27.8.2011.

Buckley-Zistel, S.: Potentials and Challenges of Transitional Justice after Violent Conflicts im Panel Normative and Ethical Assumptions & Standards of Civil Conflict Intervention, Internationale Tagung der Akademie für Konflikttransformation unter dem Titel Civil Conflict Transformation – Ambitions and Reality, Bonn, 28.-29. 4. 2011.

Braun, C.: The Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial – between mourning and politicisation. Charting the Nation between State and Society. The Association for the Studies of Nationalities 2011 World Convention, Columbia University New York, 14.-16.4.2011.

Buckley-Zistel, S.: Transitional Justice in Divided Societies – Potentials and Limits im Panel The impact of major context factors influencing the effectiveness of institutional devices (security sector, justice systems), Internationale Tagung des German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) unter dem Titel Peace through institutions: what works under which conditions – and what does not?, Hamburg, 13.-14. 4. 2011

Braun, C.: Transitional Justice Maßnahmen als Intervention. Das Beispiel Bosnien-Herzegovina. Macht in Konflikten - Macht von Konflikten. Jahreskolloquium der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, Evangelische Akademie Villigst, Schwerte, 7. - 9.4.2011.

Koloma Beck, T: Kein Blick zurück. Vom Umgang mit gewaltsamen Vergangenheiten in Mosambik, Macht in Konflikten - Macht von Konflikten. Jahreskolloquium der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, Evangelische Akademie Villigst, Schwerte, 7. - 9.4.2011

Braun, C.: The Impact of Transitional Justice Measures on the Re-establishing of Social Trust as a Precondition for Democratization. Whatever Happened to North-South? IPSA-ECPR Joint Conference, Sao Paulo, 16.-19.2, 2011.

Buckley-Zistel, S.: Gender in Post-Transitional Justice im Sand-Pit Post-Transitional Justice, Transitional Justice Institute, University of Ulster, Belfast, 21. 1. 2011

Buckley-Zistel, S.: Gender in Transitional Justice im Panel Human Rights and Justice, Gemeinsame Tagung des Arbeitskreises Politik und Geschlecht der Deutschen Vereinigung für Politische Wissenschaft (DVPW) und des Frankfurt Research Center for Postcolonial Studies (FRCPS) unter dem Titel Reimagining Gender and Politics: Transnational Feminist Interventions, Frankfurt, 27.-28. 11. 2010

Buckley-Zistel, S.: Roundtable Transitional Justice – Local Conflicts, Global Norms, Zentrumstage 2010 des Zentrums für Konfliktforschung, Marburg, 23. 3. 2010

Koloma Beck, T.: Hostages of Peace. International involvement and local dynamics in post-war Mozambique. Peace Operations and State Building: International Initiatives and Local Responses, Tel Aviv University,Tel Aviv, 31.10. - 2.11.2010

Buckley-Zistel, S.: Was soll und was kann Vergangenheitsaufarbeitung leisten?, Weingartener  Afrika-Gespräche 2009, Weingarten, 4.-6. 12. 2009

Buckley-Zistel, S.: Connecting Transitional Justice and Development, International Conference on The Contribution of Civil Society and Victim Participation in Transitional Justice Processes, Marburg, 2. 12. 2009

Buckley-Zistel, S. Co-Convenor (with Dr Anna-Maria Brandstetter of Panel In Between War and Peace – Spaces of Transition in Africa, 3rd European Conference on African Studies (ECAS), Leipzig, 4.-7. 6. 2009.