Mass Crime and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding

This project examines the impact of mass crimes on the rebuilding of social, political and economic relations in post-conflict situations. "Mass crime" is a term intended to embrace widespread killings and related atrocities such as mutilation, rapes, destruction of villages and deportations - frequently, but not always, perpetrated by a state actor. The study draws on historical and more recent cases, including Cambodia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwanda, Burundi and Guatemala. Research will examine the impact on individuals, society at large, and the organizations involved in providing assistance in the post-conflict phase. The project brings together political scientists, sociologists, historians, anthropologists, lawyers and psychiatrists in an effort to offer a trans-disciplinary examination of how mass crime is, and should be, addressed in post conflict peace- and society-building.

The aim is to bring together the various disciplines that address mass crime in a manner that reflects the multifaceted experience of mass crime by the persons concerned. A key question for the project is how to identify and build on capacities for peace, which exist within a post-conflict society. This depends on an understanding of the rules of social and political life in a given society and how disparate actors may be encouraged to participate without recourse to violent confrontation. At the same time, a caveat must be lodged against idealizing a more peaceful "traditional" past. The crucial point is that post-conflict societies are frequently seen as a passive environment or as a political vacuum. This is not only mistaken, as war is transformative, as well as destructive, and it ignores the very foundation of lasting post-conflict solutions.

expected outputs/publications

The project results have been published: 

project directors

Simon Chesterman (New York University School of Law, New York
Beatrice Pouligny (CERI, Paris)
Albrecht Schnabel (swisspeace)

project contributors

Natalija Basic (Hamburg Institute for Social Research); Roberto Beneduce (University of Turin); Bernard Doray (CEDRATE, Paris); Maurice Eisenbruch (University of New South Wales, Sydney); José Garcia Noval (ICCPG, Guatemala City); Nieves Gomez (ICCPG, Guatemala City); Louis Kriesberg (University of Syracuse); Rene Lemarchand (University of Florida, Gainesville); Maurice Niwese (University of Louvain); Claudia Paz (ICCPG, Guatemala City); Albane Prophette (ICCPG, Guatemala City); Thomas Sherlock (US Military Academy, West Point); Scott Strauss (University of California, Berkeley); Kimberly Theidon (University of Syracuse)

partner organizations and funders

Center for International Studies and Research (CERI), Paris
International Peace Academy (IPA), New York
United Nations University (UNU), Tokyo

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