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Transitional Justice and International Development

Transitional justice can be defined as the mechanisms and processes designed to address mass human rights violations of the past. The connections between transitional justice and international development are increasingly acknowledged as relevant for both improving practice and theory in the different domains of activity and intervention. Scholars, policy makers and practitioners are posing questions such as can economic, social and cultural rights be included in transitional justice interventions? How are human rights connected to development? Can development be a form of justice for individuals and communities who have had their human rights violated? Can the inclusion of development issues undermine the pursuit of justice for human rights violations?

This module will bring together theory, policy and practice. Topics to be covered include ‘thin’ versus ‘thick’ transitional justice, socio-economic rights, internal displacement and bridging policy-practice-research divides. During the module, we will read and discuss literature from different fields and disciplines including international development, transitional justice, law, socio-legal studies, political science and human rights.

You will have an opportunity to learn through critical engagement with the academic literature, film, media platforms, policy documents and case study workshops. By the end of the module, you will have explored and discussed the ways in which international development can be understood as a component of transitional justice, and the ways in which transitional justice can be understood as a component of international development. They will also have reflected on what the implications are for ‘justice’ if we bring these two fields closer together.