Closing the Books: Transitional Justice in Historical Perspective - Softcover

Elster, Jon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521548543 ISBN 13: 9780521548540

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2004

Synopsis

After a change of political system, notably a transition from an autocratic to a democratic, or at least constitutional, regime, a process of transitional justice emerges in which wrongdoers from the previous regime are judged responsible and victims are compensated. John Elster looks at examples and proposes a framework for explaining variations. In addition to the numerous transitions after 1945 in Western Europe and after 1989 in Eastern Europe, transitional justice has taken place in classical Greece, the English and French restorations, and, more recently, in Latin America and South Africa. John Elster looks at these examples in this history of transitional justice.

About this title

Book Description

After a change of political system, notably a transition from an autocratic to a democratic or at least constitutional regime, one usually observes a process of transitional justice in which wrongdoers from the previous regime are held to account and its victims compensated. In addition to the numerous transitions after 1945 in Western Europe and after 1989 in Eastern Europe, transitional justice has taken place in classical Greece, the English and French restorations, and more recently in Latin America and South Africa. The book describes the universe of cases, and proposes a framework for explaining the variations among them.

About the Author

Professor Jon Elster is the Robert Merton Professor OF Social Science at Columbia University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Paris in 1972. Before coming to Columbia University, he taught at Paris, Oslo and Chicago. His publications include Ulysses and the Sirens (1979), Sour Grapes (1983), Making Sense of Marx (1985), The Cement of Society (1989), Solomonic Judgements (1989), Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences (1989), Local Justice (1992) and Political Psychology (1993). His research interests include the theory of rational choice, the theory of distributive justice and the history of social thought (Marx and Tocqueville).

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0521548543
• ISBN 13: 9780521548540
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 312