Research Project The Standardisation of Transitional Justice: Consolidation, Innovation and Politics

Societies transiting away from war and repression often call for justice: By addressing past wrongs they may heal and enter a path of peace and democracy. Transitional justice (TJ) denotes institutional justice responses to past violence, such as trials, truth commissions, purges, reparations, reform, memorials and amnesty.
Implemented globally since 1970, TJ has recently been internationally standardised. It is now defined as consisting of 4 essential mechanisms: criminal justice, truthseeking, reparations and reform. The standard, however, promotes institutions that struggle to demonstrate beneficial transitional impact. This begs the question: How, why, and by whom has TJ been standardised? The project investigates the international standardisation of TJ politically and legally by analysing and comparing it across 4 cases (the UN, Uganda, Colombia and Syria). Cutting-edge research and dissemination are carried out by an international team from Roskilde University and acclaimed Ulster University TJ Institute.

News

We are hiring a PhD student to research transitional justice in relation to Syria

24 March 2022 |

Interested in researching transitional justice in relation to Syria? We are looking for a colleague to study the standardisation of transitional justice through efforts and developments in the Syrian (non-)transition.

Line Jespersgaard Jakobsen has started as a postdoc in the project

24 February 2022 |

In January 2022, Line J.J. initiated a position as postdoc at the Department of Social Sciences and Business, Roskilde University, as part of our research project ‘Standardisation of Transitional Justice’. Line’s research will focus on the Colombian transition towards peace and the ways in which Colombian actors co-create, innovate, and contest the standard.

New hire: Researcher focusing on TJ in Colombia

01 December 2021 |

Test manchet

Events

Researchers

Line Engbo Gissel, Associate Professor, Roskilde University

Line Jespersgaard Jakobsen, Post-doctoral Scholar, Roskilde University

Thomas Obel Hansen Senior Lecturer, Ulster University

Wladimir Santana Fernades, PhD Student, Roskilde University

Contact

Project leader Line Engbo Gissel, Associate Professor, lgissel@ruc.dk
Brandon Hamber, John Hume and Thomas P. O’Neill Chair in Peace at Ulster University and member of Ulster University’s Transitional Justice Institute

Angelika Rettberg, Professor of Politics at Universidad de los Andes and Fellow at Peace Research Institute Oslo

Thomas Brudholm, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Copenhagen

Jeff Deutch, Activist and Director, Syria Archive, Berlin

Publications

The emerging corporate turn in transitional justice
Jakobsen, L. J., 15 Mar 2023, In: Cooperation and Conflict. 58, 4, p. 561-571 11 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review › peer-review
The Standardisation of Transitional Justice
Gissel, L. E., 1 Dec 2022, In: European Journal of International Relations. 28, 4, p. 859-884 26 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Activities

7th Congress of the European Network in Universal and Global History (ENIUGH)
Line Engbo Gissel (Participant), Alexa Stiller (Participant) & Stephan Scheuzger (Participant)
29 Jun 2023 → 1 Jul 2023
Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organisation and participation in conference
International Studies Association 2023 Annual Convention
Line Engbo Gissel (Participant)
16 Mar 2023
Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organisation and participation in conference
Toolkits and Standards in Transitional Justice: Consolidation, Innovation and Implications
Line Engbo Gissel (Organizer), Line Jespersgaard Jakobsen (Organizer) & Wladimir Santana Fernandes (Participant)
15 Feb 2023 → 16 Feb 2023
Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organisation and participation in conference

More activities

Press-media

Colombia og ELN indgår våbenhvile - præsident lover fred i 2025
Line Jespersgaard Jakobsen
16/06/2023
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media

Funding

The project is funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark. The project is supported with DKK 5,943,293.00 (EUR 800,000) over a 4-year period.

See the full project description here.

Insights

ARTICLE

The International Criminal Court risks blocking peace

The International Criminal Court prosecutes some of the most serious international crimes, but the court's procedure causes problems in some countries, according to new research by Assistant Professor Line Engbo Gissel.