The Era of Transitional Justice

"Paul Gready has written a well-researched, thoughtful and unique volume. His assertion that those working on transitional justice and human rights must do more to address the structural poverty and violence which are the enduring legacies of the past - including through greater attention to realizing economic, social and cultural rights for all - is an important message for the 21st century. This book offers a wealth of insights for those working in a range of fields including, but going well beyond, transitional justice." - Mary Robinson, President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative; former President of Ireland "This superb book provides an insightful, provocative and timely critique of the strengths and weaknesses of transitional justice mechanisms, through the prism of truth commissions. In recent years transitional justice mechanisms have spread somewhat promiscuously and have been asked to take on a rapidly expanding array of tasks. But too little attention has been paid to coherence, manageability, or the deeper assumptions underpinning the process. This book analyses those shortcomings critically but constructively and provides important guidelines for the future." - Philip Alston, John Norton Pomeroy Professor of Law, New York University School of Law "The Era of Transitional Justice is a brilliant inquiry into the sensitive domain of transitional justice given concreteness by a focus on post-apartheid South Africa's struggle for truth and reconciliation, but it is more than this. What really makes this book indispensable is its exceptionally clarifying conceptual framework for thought and action across the whole spectrum of human rights/justice concerns." - Richard Falk, Research Professor, Global Studies, UCSB

Paul Gready is Professor of Applied Human Rights and Director of the Centre for Applied Human Rights at the University of York (UK).

Introduction 1. Truth as Genre 2. From Social Truth to Rights-Based Participation 3. Justice Past 4. Justice Present 5. Speaking Truth to Reconciliation 6. Reconciliation, Relationships and the Everyday. Conclusion