Negative emotions and transitional justice /

Based on a doctoral thesis defended in 2010, whose chapters were first published separately as articles and then brought together in book form, this volume explores the relationship between (mostly negative) public emotional responses and state-led transitional justice programs implemented in post-dictatorial settings. The first part of the book puts forth a defense of the necessity to initiate transitional justice. Chapter 1 provides a selective overview of transitional justice that concludes with an examination of the emotional circumstances of justice during democratic shifts. Chapter 2 turns to resentment and indignation, as well as emotional expressions as sources of justice in transitional settings. The second part of the book focuses on the way domestic courts distributing post-conflict justice should recognize democratically appropriate resentment and indignation. Empirical cases drawn from South Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe illustrate how courts have dealt with public expressions of such emotions. Chapter 3 focuses on the judicial review of transitional justice laws, whereas chapter 4 discusses court trials as redress. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and faculty. --Lavinia Stan, St. Francis Xavier University