Competing Memories Truth and Reconciliation in Sierra Leone and Peru

The aftermath of modern conflicts, deeply rooted in political, economic and social structures, leaves pervasive and often recurring legacies of violence. Addressing past injustice is therefore fundamental not only for societal well-being and peace, but also for future conflict prevention. In recent years, truth and reconciliation commissions have become important but contentious mechanisms for conflict resolution and reconciliation. This book fills a significant gap, examining the importance of context within transitional justice and peace-building. It lays out long-term and often unexpected indirect effects of formal and informal justice processes. Offering a novel conceptual understanding of 'procedural reconciliation' on the societal level, it features an in-depth study of commissions in Peru and Sierra Leone, providing a critical analysis of the contribution and challenges facing transitional justice in post-conflict societies. It will be of interest to scholars and students of comparative politics, international relations, human rights and conflict studies.

1. Justice and reconciliation in enduring conflicts; 2. Contextual variances, transitional justice and peace-building: a historical overview; 3. Procedural reconciliation; 4. Underdevelopment, peace-building, and marginilization: the establishment of a restorative agenda in Sierra Leone; 5. Localism and pragmatic solidarity in Sierra Leone; 6. The shining path and political violence: the establishment of a punitive human rights based approach; 7. Memory activism and the politics of the past; 8. Conclusions: context, transformation, and holism in transitional justice.

Rebekka Friedman is a lecturer of International Relations in the Department of War Studies at King's College London. Her teaching and research focus on the intersection of transitional justice, peace-building, reconciliation, memory and gender. She is a former editor of Millennium: Journal of International Studies.