Culture Under Cross-Examination

International Justice and the Special Court for Sierra Leone
Erscheinungsjahr 2013
ISBN: 978-1-107-66619-1
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 314 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 512 g

Reihe: Cambridge Studies in Law and Society

The international community created the Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute those who bore the greatest responsibility for crimes committed during the country's devastating civil war. In this book, first published in 2009, Tim Kelsall examines some of the challenges posed by the fact that the Court operated in a largely unfamiliar culture, in which the way local people thought about rights, agency and truth-telling sometimes differed radically from the way international lawyers think about these things. By applying an anthro-political perspective to the trials, he unveils a variety of ethical, epistemological, jurisprudential and procedural problems, arguing that although touted as a promising hybrid, the Court failed in crucial ways to adapt to the local culture concerned. Culture matters, and international justice requires a more dialogical, multicultural approach.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kelsall, Tim

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Kultur- und Sozialethnologie: Allgemeines
• Rechtswissenschaften Internationales Recht und Europarecht Internationales Recht Internationales Öffentliches Recht, Völkerrecht, Internationale Organisationen
• Rechtswissenschaften Recht, Rechtswissenschaft Allgemein Rechtssoziologie, Rechtspsychologie, Rechtslinguistik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. White man's justice? Sierra Leone and the expanding project of international law; 2. The story of the CDF trial; 3. An unconventional army: chains of command in a patrimonial society; 4. Facts, metaphysics and mysticism: magical powers and the law; 5. We cannot accept any cultural consideration: the child soldiers charge; 6. 'He's not very forthright': finding the facts in a culture of secrecy; 7. Cultural issues in the RUF, AFRC, and Charles Taylor trials; 8. Conclusion: from legal imperialism to dialogics.

Über Autor(innen)

Kelsall, Tim
Tim Kelsall works as an Associate of the Africa, Politics and Power Programme and as a Visiting Fellow at the Berkeley War Crimes Studies Center based in Phnom Penh. In the past he has taught Politics at the universities of Oxford and Newcastle and has been an editor of the journal African Affairs.