Course Description
The course analyzes the national and international attempts to promote or to consolidate peace processes and rule of law after periods of gross human rights violations and/or conflicts. These processes aim at sanctioning war criminals, at preventing the repetition of these violations, fostering the rule of law and promoting “reconciliation” in societies that have been divided by war. These objectives are often in tension with one another. One of the goals of the course is to explore with the students the complex relationship between justice, peace and social reconstruction. We will look in particular at the work achieved by some international or hybrid criminal tribunals and truth commissions, as well as some demands for reparations for historical wrongs. In doing so, we will examine the establishment, the functioning and the efficiency of these public policies of reconciliation.
