Friedman, Rebekka
(2012)
Hybrid TRCs and national reconciliation in Sierra
Leone and Peru.
PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.
Abstract
This thesis examines the contribution of Truth Commissions (TCs) to national reconciliation and
peace-building in post-conflict societies, via the case studies of Sierra Leone and Peru. While TCs
have become a rapidly proliferating form of transitional justice, the thesis argues that there is still
insufficient understanding of the functions and impact of TCs and the contexts within which they are
established. In contrast to earlier Cold War TCs, which were established during regime transitions
from authoritarian rule to democracy, recent hybrid Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs), as
in Sierra Leone, East Timor, and Peru, were established in contexts of protracted social conflict and
civil war. Whereas earlier Cold War TCs, were set up by domestic civil society as instruments of
human rights against strong states, hybrid TRCs focused on democratization and peace-building in
fragile states and often with global support.
This thesis offers a typology of TCs, distinguishing participatory TRCs and didactic TCs from recent
hybrid TRCs. It that hybrid TRCs integrate rigorous fact-finding and public testimony, focusing their
work on the civic sphere. The thesis offers a theoretical conception of national reconciliation. Utilizing
extensive qualitative research carried out in Sierra Leone and Peru, the thesis argues that hybrid TRCs
in Sierra Leone and Peru had an important normative and discursive impact on procedural
reconciliation. In both contexts, hybrid TRCs mobilized civil society, raised awareness, and altered
norms of engagement. At the same time, the thesis argues that mechanisms of transitional justice are
endogenous to their contexts. The nature of the conflicts, particularly a long backdrop of political and
economic marginalization, the legacies of violence in remote areas, and the lack of implementation of
hybrid TRCs’ recommendations, undermined their contributions. The thesis concludes that durable
reconciliation requires a deeper level of public commitment and social justice. It raises implications
for future research and practice, specifically the risk of institutional overstretch in current holistic
transitional justice and the importance of a long-term transformative approach.
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