210413 PS G2, G3, G10: Justice, Equal. and Pol. Transform. (2007S)

The course focuses on the conceptions of justice and equality prevalent in both the political systems of conflict societies and in the mind of their population. The main objective is to trace the historical development of justice and equality in divided societies and to analyze their transformative capacity for conflict resolution. This will include a strong comparative dimension in that several case studies - such as Northern Ireland, the Basque Country, Cyprus, Palestine/Israel and Kosovo - will be considered and discussed. The first part of the course outlines the main theoretical approaches of justice and equality which will serve as the basis for the analysis of the conflicts in question. It will then identify and discuss the main issues at stake, the key players and main opponents. The aim is to extract the underlying mechanisms and processes at work with regard to justice and equality from the particular conflict settings - both at micro- and macro-level - and attempt to draw generalizable conclusions for conflict management and/or resolution.
The questions tackled in this course will include: How important are normative theories of justice and equality for the analysis of conflicts in divided societies? What is their potential for conflict resolution? How do the issues of national identity, class and social/material deprivation feature in each conflict situation. How do these issues interact and/or reinforce each other?
The course is organised as a workshop, in which the lecturer and participants will discuss and analyze the particular aspects of the conflict - it will include the analysis of audio and video material. Students are expected to develop and refine their own views through critical engagement with the literature on justice and equality and on the various conflict societies. Each student is expected to give a presentation on a specific topic discussed in the course and to submit one essay, to be corrected by the lecturer.