Transitional justice and changing memories of the past in Central Europe
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Government and Opposition
Publication Date
1-1-2015
Volume
50
Issue
1
First Page
24
Last Page
44
Abstract
Memories of wrongdoings are often viewed as an obstacle to reconciliation in divided societies. Is it due to the past or the present politics of the past? To examine the dilemma of essentialism versus presentism, this article investigates the impact of transitional justice on memories of wrongdoing. It theorizes that using different transitional justice strategies to deal with the same wrongdoing shapes memories in different ways. The theory is tested via vignette-based surveys in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, which adopted distinct lustration laws. The results show that wrongdoing is viewed through lustration laws, reflecting present power constellations, not history.
DOI
10.1017/gov.2013.37
Print ISSN
0017257X
E-ISSN
14777053
Publisher Statement
Copyright © The Author(s). Published by Government and Opposition Limited and Cambridge University Press 2013
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
David, R. (2015). Transitional justice and changing memories of the past in Central Europe. Government and Opposition, 50(1), 24-44. doi: 10.1017/gov.2013.37