Syllabus
Key Seminar Themes
I. Introduction & Historical Overview & Definition of Terms
II. Retributive Justice: Crimes and Punishment
III. Domestic Justice vs International Tribunals
IV. Democratization & Arenas of Administrative Justice: Purges, Lustration, Vetting
V. Case Study: Contending with Communist Legacies
VI. Historical Justice: Collective Memory, Truth Commissions and Reconciliation
VII. Case Study: The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission
VIII. Reparative Justice & Restoration of Victims: Rehabilitation & Restitution
Annotation
How do countries and societies overcome a history of large scale human rights violations? In this seminar we will examine two main and related themes, namely how democracies reckon with former authoritarian regimes and their legacies; and how "collective memories" are shaped. We will focus on trials, purges, truth commissions, reparations of victims and the controversies accompanying these dilemmas. Several case studies from Europe, South America and South Africa will help us understand the efficacy of these tools, their limitations and their relationship to collective memory.
Dates of the seminars: 27.2., 13.3., 27.3., a 10.4