Transitional Justice in Tunisia Innovations, Continuities, Challenges

Introduction

Simon Robins

I. Informal mechanisms

1. Victim participation in a politicised process: The Karama victims’ association and the search for justice in transitional Tunisia

Simon Robins and Houcine Bouchiba

2. Breaking the racial taboo: Black Tunisian activism as transitional justice

Houda Mzioudet

3. From the Streets Up: Youth Leadership of Informal Processes to Transitional Justice in Tunisia

Lawrence Robinson

4. Transitional Justice, Contentious Politics, and the Struggle for the Right to Work

Saerom Han

5. Making and remaking the past in post-revolutionary Tunisia: The uses of history in Transitional Justice

Simon Robins, Kora Andrieu, Ahmed Aloui, Wahid Ferchichi and Hajer Ben Hamza

II. Formal mechanisms

6. The Politics of Technical Assistance: International involvement in Tunisia’s Transitional Justice process

Alicia Pastor y Camarasa

7. Overlooking women’s lived realities: How Tunisia’s Truth & Dignity Commission dealt with the hijab ban

Tine Destrooper and Safa Belghith

8. The private sector and the Anticorruption Discourse in the Tunisian Transition: Carthage was not destroyed

Taygeti Michalakea

9. Transitional Justice in Tunisia and Colonial Legacy

Elham Kazemi

10. Reparations in post-revolution Tunisia: At the Intersection of Innovation and Politicisation

Simeon Gready

11. Conclusions: Learning from the Tunisian experience

Simon Robins and Tine Destrooper

Biography

Simon Robins is Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Applied Human Rights (CAHR), University of York, UK.

Paul Gready is Professor of Applied Human Rights and Director of the Centre for Applied Human Rights (CAHR), University of York, UK.

"From my position as head of the Women's Commission of the IVD I have worked within the transitional justice process as well as collaborating with academics - including the editors of this volume - in collaborative research. This volume represents a critical reading of transitional justice in Tunisia, including valuable engagements with both formal mechanisms and with those working as a part of civil society, social movements and communities to advance justice. Tunisia illustrates both the huge challenges of delivering on the promise of transitional justice, and that innovation continues at both formal and informal levels." Ibtihel Abdellatif, Ex-Chair of the Women’s Commission of the Instance Vérité et Dignité　

"This is an excellent and critical addition to the literature on transitional justice. Using Tunisia as a case study, a mix of academic and practitioner authors are able to evaluate the successes and failures of transitional justice after a major political transition. The ethical and practical difficulties faced by institutions and citizens in Tunisia offer lessons to other contexts undergoing or contemplating change. What becomes clear in this volume is that transitional justice experiences are dynamic, have winners and losers, and have unanticipated outcomes. This work is highly recommended. Robins and Gready have been at the forefront of our understanding of the opportunities and limits of transitional justice, and this book pushes debates forward." Roger Mac Ginty, Professor in Defence, Development and Diplomacy in the School of Government and International Affairs, University of Durham, UK

"Tunisia’s process to deal with its past has been as turbulent as the country’s transition. This volume brings together academics and practitioners who extensively highlight the intricacies of this process and thoroughly analyse them. It is essential and timely reading for anyone studying Tunisia’s contemporary history or seeking to draw lessons from its transitional justice efforts." Habib Nassar, Director of Policy and Research, Impunity Watch