Abstract
The final chapter draws out the key conclusions of this study, and highlights how women in Bosnia are working to expand the boundaries of post-conflict justice through forms of activism that centre on the question of “dealing with the past”. Transitional justice processes are foregrounded as crucial sites of gendered agency. These processes offer opportunities for women to challenge or alternatively reinforce gender hierarchies and norms by engaging in post-war struggles over justice. The chapter also presents several recommendations for advancing gender justice in (post-)conflict contexts. It highlights how processes of “dealing with the past” might be re-envisioned to provide forms of justice that address the interests, needs, desires, and expectations of women affected by armed conflict in Bosnia and other (post)conflict settings.
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
Azra Hasanbegović, Žene BiH, Personal Interview, Mostar, 12/10/11.
- 3.
Ferida Nišić, Treasurer of Association for Tracing Captured and Missing from Hadžići, Personal Interview, Hadžići, 28/06/11.
- 4.
Senka Zulum, Viktorija 99, Personal Interview, Jajce, 08/06/11.
- 5.
Mejra Dautović, Personal Interview, Bihać, 24/04/12.
- 6.
As Madho k and Rai (2012) have pointed out in their study of a state-sponsored initiative for women’s development in Northwest India, women’s mobilisation for “transgressive politics” can involve exposure to vulnerability, risk, and injury.
- 7.
As Aleksandra Petrić explained, issues that are not associated with national identity are not recognised as a priority by politicians.
Aleksandra Petrić, Program Director of United Women, Personal Interview, Banja Luka, 2/09/11.
- 8.
Examples include establishing women’s hearings, dedicated gender units, gender quotas for commissioners and staff, and specialised witness protection and support; building partnerships with local and internationa l women’s organisations; and constructing “gender-responsive” mandates that are inclusive of women and sensitive to gender-based violence (Theidon 2007: 457; Valji 2010: 9–13).
- 9.
Women’s organisations have organised dozens of women’s courts and tribunals across the world, with themes ranging from sexual violence, to human trafficking, and the rights of indigenous women. Key examples include the Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery (Tokyo, 2000); and the Global Tribunal on Violations of Women’s Human Rights (Vienna, 1993).
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O’Reilly, M. (2018). Conclusion. In: Gendered Agency in War and Peace . Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-352-00145-7_7
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