This article suggests that transitional justice could contribute more positively to the process of reconciliation, one of its core aims, by: 1) supporting and working alongside coexistence initiatives; and 2) incorporating coexistence frameworks within its own processes and mechanisms. Coexistence initiatives – such as dialogue facilitation, intergroup projects aimed at achieving shared goals, and media campaigns designed to reframe the ‘other’ – are essential to restoring trust, transforming perceptions and rebuilding relationships in divided societies. Unless people’s lived realities are transformed, members of identify groups are likely to continue to focus on ‘data’ that confirm their existing beliefs.
Transitional justice seeks to address a legacy of large-scale past abuses. In societies that have suffered from violent intergroup conflict, this legacy includes divided communities and widespread distrust and fear of the ‘other’. Failure to acknowledge and address the psychological and social effects of communal violence is a significant obstacle to the development of peaceful relations, reconciliation and reconstruction of post-war societies.
Reconciliation may be seen as the process of repairing relationships and societies at all levels and confronting dominant narratives of the past. Reconciliation is considered in the literature to be the ‘ultimate goal’ of transitional justice. In many polarised societies, however, myths and group identities persist despite the findings of transitional justice initiatives.
The field of coexistence provides a framework for thinking about intergroup relations and interdependence. Examples of coexistence initiatives in divided societies that have contributed to changing attitudes, repairing relationships and strengthening communities include:
- Shared initiatives: opportunities for collaboration and dialogue. ‘Instrumental reconciliation’ initiatives that encourage basic functional cooperation are possible, beneficial and attractive even where people are unwilling to participate in activities labelled as ‘reconciliation’ projects.
- Associations: cross-cutting networks. Associations facilitate self-help, mutual help, solidarity and cooperation. Associations can foster coexistence without explicitly specifying intergroup involvement as a condition for funding or support, and can help to develop civic trust and cultures of citizenship.
- Media initiatives: reframing the ‘other’. Media programming can help to counter stereotypes and misconceptions; depolarise attitudes by emphasising stories of intergroup cooperation; promote empathy by portraying similarities with the ‘other’; and facilitate dialogue and understanding.
A conducive political context can amplify the effect of, and help to scale up, coexistence initiatives. Other peace-oriented programmes outside the field of coexistence are needed to address structural issues.
Coexistence and transitional justice approach reconciliation from different perspectives. Coexistence adopts a bottom-up approach, using direct and personal intergroup contact, cooperation and dialogue, and by explicitly promoting positive characteristics and narratives of the ‘other’. Transitional justice strategies tend to adopt a top-down approach. It is often assumed that reconciliation will follow automatically from macro-level governance initiatives such as strengthening the justice system and implementing criminal trials; or vetting war criminals and corrupt officials from government. This has not proven to be the case, however, and there is growing recognition that more needs to be done.
Transitional justice processes and mechanisms are unlikely to repair intergroup relationships, transform communities or eliminate tensions in the absence of specific attention to promote coexistence. Transitional justice could both work alongside coexistence initiatives and integrate coexistence aims:
- Trials and truth commissions could have a greater effect in conjunction with coexistence work: people interacting with each other across group divides would be more likely to explore and understand the facts uncovered and decisions made in trials.
- Those working on transitional justice outreach could seek to partner with the producers of media initiatives that promote positive images of the ‘other’.
- Inclusive participatory community forums could be used to explore and design a transitional justice strategy considered meaningful for the society. These processes could be staged with more neutral community projects in order to build an atmosphere of collaboration first.
- Truth-finding mechanisms could include helping to unify people as part of their mandate, and could document positive as well as negative narratives. For example, truth commissions could uncover the stories of those who sought to save the lives of members of the ‘other’ group.
See also the author’s IDD Policy Brief on this issue (pdf, 470KB).
