Staatliche Initiativen zur Ahndung von Massengewalt: Perspektiven einer transnationalen Geschichte und Gegenwart

Abstract

Abstract

Anika Oettler: States Dealing with Mass Violence: Transnational Perspectives.

During the past several decades, truth commissions and other instruments of „transitional justice“ have risen to prominence. Currently, the business of „dealing with the past“ is booming. This article explores the history of both, the creation and appliance of „past-beatingtechniques“. While the 1990s were characterized by a certain euphoria that surrounded truth commissions, the 2000s saw a significant shift towards prosecution as well as the appliance of a diverse set of instruments. This paper focuses on the development of transnational norm-building networks that tend to be more and more institutionalized. Moreover, it shows the necessity of rethinking the debate on „transitional justice“: the debate should take into account that the emergence of powerful nodes within the network structure implies the concentration of resources and discursive power.