Honeyman, Catherine, Hudani, Shakirah, Tiruneh, Alfa, Hierta, Justina, Chirayath, Leila, Iliff, Andrew and Meierhenrich, Jens 
ORCID: 0000-0002-2165-3268
(2004)
Establishing collective norms: potentials for participatory justice in Rwanda.
Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 10 (1).
pp. 1-24.
ISSN 1078-1919
Abstract
In June 2002, the Republic of Rwanda embarked on an extraordinary experiment in transitional justice, inaugurating the pilot phase of a new participatory justice system called Inkiko-Gacaca. This article-the result of 8 weeks of research involving interviews with government and nongovernmental organization officials, local judges, and prisoners, and extensive observations of the Inkiko-Gacaca process in several different rural communities-explores the system's potential for healing inter-group conflict through a collaborative process of establishing common social and moral norms. The historical and theoretical background of Inkiko-Gacaca is followed by an in-depth case study of 3 communities. Relating intergroup contact theory to the actual experiences of Rwandans participating in this transitional justice system, we emphasize the need to revise the theory's often-implied assumption of homogeneity in participant perspectives. This analysis illustrates 4 very different levels of trust at which Rwandans participate in the Inkiko-Gacaca system, and the dangers, as well as the positive potential, that this wide distribution of perceptions implies. Ultimately, the research indicates some specific ways in which Inkiko-Gacaca could address the concerns of its most disillusioned participants, to help ensure that its contribution to the process of social reconstruction in Rwanda is a positive one.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Official URL: | http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/10781919.as... |
| Additional Information: | © 2004 Routledge |
| Divisions: | International Relations |
| Subjects: | J Political Science > JC Political theory D History General and Old World > DT Africa |
| Date Deposited: | 09 Sep 2010 08:21 |
| Last Modified: | 07 Oct 2024 23:11 |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/29273 |
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