Overview

There is a memorable line by ancient Greek poet Archilochus: 'The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.' Drawing on this metaphor made popular by Isaiah Berlin, this book sets out to 'think like a fox' about transitional justice in an intellectual environment largely dominated by hedgehogs. Critical of the unitary 'hedgehog-like' vision underlying mainstream discourse, this book proposes a pluralist reading of the field. It asks: What would it mean for transitional justice to constructively deal with conflicts of values and interests in societies grappling with a violent past? And what would it imply to make meaningful room for diversity, to see 'the many' rather than just 'the one'?

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9781108928731

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Reviews

'Imbued by an innovative set of insights which are much needed by transitional justice scholars and practitioners, this book breathes complexity and imagination. It forces the reader to question fundamental orthodoxies about transitional justice theory and practice by listening to the difficult, uncomfortable realities of political and legal compromise in transitional settings. It embraces intricacy, does not give easy answers, and is quite simply the best transitional justice book I have read in a very long time.' Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, University of Minnesota and The Queens University of Belfast 'This book is an invaluable companion to unlearning the dogmas sedimented into the normative common sense of 'transitional justice'. With intellectual dexterity and a pluralistic ethos, Haldemann unsettles the monism and rigid legalism that have accompanied the field's institutionalization, overstated its coherence, and denied its imbrication in a neo-imperial machinery of global governance.' Vasuki Nesiah, New York University 'In this important new book, Haldemann raises hard questions and offers thoughtful insights about the past, present and future of transitional justice. His book is a tonic for those who believe not only in accountability, but also in prevention and the messy middle ground that peace depends upon.' Mark Freeman, Executive Director, Institute for Integrated Transitions 'Thoughtful and erudite, Frank Haldemann's masterful reflection on transitional justice demonstrates the complexity of the environment and the fallacy of a search for simplistic responses. The best may be the enemy of the good, he reminds us. Practitioners must learn to think like a fox, not a hedgehog.' William Schabas, Middlesex University

Author Information

Frank Haldemann is an affiliated researcher at the Interdisciplinary Institute of Ethics and Human Rights of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. He has taught transitional justice for over ten years, and co-directed the Geneva Academy Master in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law. His research on transitional justice has led him to New York, The Hague and South Africa. He is the co-editor (with Thomas Unger) of The United Nations Principles to Combat Impunity: A Commentary (2018) and has published in journals such as Ratio Juris, Cornell International Law Journal, WestEnd: Neue Zeitschrift für Sozialforschung and Munera: rivista europea di cultura.

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