Abstract
This article argues that the post-conflict reconciliation process is undermined by the importance given to the retributive form of justice dominating peacebuild- ing and transitional justice measures. Retributive justice reinforces the division between perpetrator and victim, thus undermining the reconciliation process between antagonistic parties. The so-called objective categories of perpetrator and victim, so crucial for the administration and management of most peacebuilding measures, underestimate the individual and collective psychological dimension and intersub- jective effects that these categories have upon the healing and reconciliation pro- cesses. The significance of the psychological dimension of reconciliation suggests a restorative justice approach that emphasizes the subjective and intersubjective meanings of justice and reconciliation. The case of post-genocide Rwanda will be used to show how the retributive justice approach can undermine the reconcilia- tion process.
Recommended Citation
Parent, Geneviève
(2010)
"Reconciliation and Justice after Genocide: A Theoretical Exploration,"
Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal:
Vol. 5:
Iss.
3:
Article 5.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/gsp/vol5/iss3/5
