Gavrielides, T. (2028), The peacebuilding power of restorative justice communities: Hope post war & large-scale conflict, Abingdon: Routledge.

Book objectives

After two World Wars, a cold war and forces of colonialism, humanity came together to say, “no more”. We signed human rights declarations and attempted to unite nations under global and regional institutions to prevent shameful atrocities from happening again. And while we are still experiencing the effects of these wars, colonization and mass victimization, new large-scale conflicts and domination through power abuse are taking place across the world. While some take old forms of harm through on-the-ground state-military operations (e.g. Iran, Cyprus, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Gaza, India and Pakistan, Ukraine, Syria), others are more insidious taking lives through politics of hate, non-state actors and paramilitaries.

At the same time, communities are gradually becoming sceptical of state-led solutions as they are often forgotten in peace building processes. The pain, material and non-material harms that are left behind are rarely the focus of current peace building narratives, policies and practices. As a result, communities are rising to repair and rebuild either at the local, national or international levels.

Gavrielides’ new edited collection brings together world leaders to articulate an alternative narrative to current peace building processes by providing both normative and empirical arguments that illustrate communities’ power in repairing harm. Through critical thinking and a series of case studies covering European, African, Australasian, Latin American and Middle Eastern wars and large-scale conflicts, politics of power, old and new forms of colonialism, the authors bring evidence of much needed hope in a growing divided world.

Book structure and audience

The book is a collection of original and unpublished research papers covering multiple disciplines including law (restorative justice, criminal law, criminology, human rights), social sciences peace and conflict studies), psychology, religious studies and ethics.
 
The book adopts a simple structure. Part I focuses on articulating new conceptual frameworks in understanding and dealing with war, inter-community conflict and the misuse of power for domination. The chapters falling within this normative book section aim to challenge our thinking while introducing us to alternative models of community based peace building. Attention is given to issues of gender, race and faith, while challenging a debate on equity through the lenses of power.  Part II moves on to present evidence-based arguments illustrating the peace building power of restorative justice communities. The case studies presented in this practical part of the book bring to light concrete examples of local and international community-led peace building initiatives that adopt the restorative justice values of power-sharing, equality, dignity and involvement in decision-making.

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Table of contents

Foreword: TBC

Introduction: Looking at war and community-based peace building through the lenses of power Professor Theo Gavrielides (Founder & Director, RJ4All International Institute, Visiting Professor at University Arts London and University of the Free State, South Africa)

Acknowledgements

Notes on Contributors

PART I: New conceptual frameworks

Chapter 1: The role of restorative justice in the battle against the legacies of slavery and oppressive domination of First Nation People, Professor Morris Jenkins (Dean, College of Health and Human Services at Southeast Missouri State University)

Chapter 2: Restorative Justice after War: Human Security, Ethical Restraint, and the Limits of Political Reconciliation, Professor David Kwon, Ph.D., (Department of Theology and Religious Studies, Seattle University, USA)

PART II: Communities of hope in wars and conflicts around the world

Chapter 3: The case of the Basque Country – Reversing competitive victimhood and changing violent legacies: Due diligence in peacebuilding versus institutional harm Professor Gema Varona Martínez (Directora Instituto Vasco de Criminología Basque Institute of Criminology, University of the Basque Country, Spain and President of the World Society of Victimology)

Chapter 4: The case of Milwaukee and Colombia – From Courtrooms to Classrooms: Expanding Our Thinking of “Success” in Restorative Justice Across Contexts of Conflict, Mary E. Triggiano (Director, Andrew Center for Restorative Justice, Marquette University Law School, Former Chief Judge, Milwaukee Circuit Court) and Dr. Gabriel Velez (Associate Professor Educational Policy and Leadership, College of Education)

Chapter 5: The case of Southern Africa – Restorative Justice in Contexts of Historical Violence: Ubuntu, Colonial Legacies, and the Pursuit of Peacebuilding and Reconciliation, Dr. Marelize Schoeman (Professor at the University of South Africa, South Africa)

Chapter 6: The case of Rio de Janeiro: Restorative Justice as a Way to Foster Peace and Hope Among Militias: Paths to Breaking the Cycle of Youth Recruitment in Paramilitary Organizations, Isadora Mendes (Law Professor at the Faculdade Instituto Rio de Janeiro – FIURJ) and Joao Salm, PhD (Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Governors State University)

Chapter 7: The case of Post-Genocide Rwanda: Healing Relational Harm through State-Led and Grassroots Restorative Justice, Dr Judith Rafferty (Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, The Cairns Institute, James Cook University) and Angela Jansen.

Chapter 8: The case of Cyprus – Truth and reconciliation through community action and restorative justice dialogue, Prof. Theo Gavrielides (RJ4All Founder and Director) and Eleonore Chaustier (Research Assistant RJ4All) and Janhavi Dhamankar (RJ4All intern).

Chapter 9: The case of Marawi, Philippines – Restorative approaches to reintegration in the shadow of violent extremism, Phil Champain OBE, Founder and Director In-Difference

Chapter 10: Epilogue: Professor Theo Gavrielides

Index