Conflict and Transitional Justice: Feminist Approaches
CALL FOR PAPERS
September 19-20, 2008 – Emory University Law School Atlanta, GA
To see the complete call for papers click here.
Truth Commissions and other forms of transitional justice have become ubiquitous as a mechanism for societies emerging from long years of conflict to move into a post-conflict era. From South Africa to Liberia, from Greensville South Carolina, USA, to Northern Ireland, we see both formal and informal processes of transitional justice at work. However, rarely is the process critiqued through a feminist lens. Do these “traditional” forms of reconciliation help or hinder women’s position in societies from repression or conflict? This workshop asks how a focus on women’s security and women’s ideas about peace, justice and security might further the conversation about transitional justice, conflict and post-conflict societies. Potential topics include:
- Women’s exclusion in peace process and the effects of such exclusions on the transitional process that follows.
- The impact peacekeepers have on women in conflict? Post-conflict?
- Feminist interpretations of transitional justice.
- Feminist analyses of what constitutes conflict.
- The gender role shifts that take place in conflicted and repressive societies, and the recalibrations (both positive and negative) that follow in transition.
- Is transition always positive for women?
- Interrogation of the relationship between Human Rights/Women’s Rights.
- What is the role of inter(national) law in transitional justice?
- What avenues are available to address sexual abuse in conflict?
- An exploration of the religious dimensions of gender and conflict.
- Can there truly be post-conflict justice for women under the current paradigms?
- Issues in conflict and transitional justice that serve as an obstacle to women’s economic development.
- How is transitional justice affected by Western or Capitalist influences in establishing the framework?
- Is there a relationship between violence against women in times of peace and times of conflict?
- What is the relationship between social and economic violation and gender violations?
- What are the barriers to post-conflict justice?
- Perpetuation of the cycle of dependency through transitional justice.
- How do we protect women pre-conflict?
A short proposal should be sent by July 24, 2008 to Martha LA Fineman (mfineman(at)law.emory.edu), Pamela Scully (pamela.scully(at)emory.edu), Elizabeth Bounds (ebounds(at)emory.edu) and Celeste Bocchiccho(cbocchi(at)emory.edu).
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