To Repair the Dispair? Survivors of Human Rights Violations’ Experiences and Perceptions of Chile’s Transitional Justice Process
(2023) MRSM15 20231Human Rights Studies
- Abstract
- Do Transitional Justice policies aimed at repairing systematic human rights violations effectively repair the harm done by states? This study seeks to answer this question by understanding the experiences and perceptions that the recipients of these policies have of Transitional Justice broadly and reparations specifically. The answers reveal the multiple layers of complexity of Transitional Justice in practice. With the theoretical framework of bottom-up Transitional Justice, this research project offers a victim-centered perspective on Transitional Justice. Ground for the analysis is eight oral history interviews with members of the Chilean diaspora in Sweden and Denmark who experienced political prosecution and forced exile during... (More)
- Do Transitional Justice policies aimed at repairing systematic human rights violations effectively repair the harm done by states? This study seeks to answer this question by understanding the experiences and perceptions that the recipients of these policies have of Transitional Justice broadly and reparations specifically. The answers reveal the multiple layers of complexity of Transitional Justice in practice. With the theoretical framework of bottom-up Transitional Justice, this research project offers a victim-centered perspective on Transitional Justice. Ground for the analysis is eight oral history interviews with members of the Chilean diaspora in Sweden and Denmark who experienced political prosecution and forced exile during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. Aided by thematic content analysis, the findings of this research have been categorized into four themes: the pain of exile, despair that goes beyond the individual, irreparable harm, and symbolic sequels of Transitional Justice in practice. The themes reveal that the profound suffering of this research’s participants has been shaped by violence, imprisonment, and forced exile, with implications that extend to their families. The participants stress that they do not feel repaired by the Chilean state, nor do they feel that the harm endured can be easily repaired, especially considering that the state’s efforts to repair have been hindered by controversies related to truth and justice. Furthermore, the study outlines the symbolic effects of Chile’s policies associated with truth and repair, which entail processes of inclusion and exclusion, thus demonstrating the unforeseen outcomes of Transitional Justice mechanisms carried out through bureaucratic means. The findings of this research shed light on the interplay between local agencies and the broader Transitional Justice framework, emphasizing the importance of including victims’ voices in pursuing contextually relevant Transitional Justice processes. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9140244
- author
- Ojaghi, Cloe
- supervisor
-
- Olof Beckman LU
- organization
- course
- MRSM15 20231
- year
- 2023
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Human Rights violations – Transitional Justice – Bottom-up Transitional Justice – Reparations – Chilean diaspora.
- language
- English
- id
- 9140244
- date added to LUP
- 2026-08-10 13:52:30
- date last changed
- 2026-08-10 13:52:30
@misc{9140244,
abstract = {{Do Transitional Justice policies aimed at repairing systematic human rights violations effectively repair the harm done by states? This study seeks to answer this question by understanding the experiences and perceptions that the recipients of these policies have of Transitional Justice broadly and reparations specifically. The answers reveal the multiple layers of complexity of Transitional Justice in practice. With the theoretical framework of bottom-up Transitional Justice, this research project offers a victim-centered perspective on Transitional Justice. Ground for the analysis is eight oral history interviews with members of the Chilean diaspora in Sweden and Denmark who experienced political prosecution and forced exile during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. Aided by thematic content analysis, the findings of this research have been categorized into four themes: the pain of exile, despair that goes beyond the individual, irreparable harm, and symbolic sequels of Transitional Justice in practice. The themes reveal that the profound suffering of this research’s participants has been shaped by violence, imprisonment, and forced exile, with implications that extend to their families. The participants stress that they do not feel repaired by the Chilean state, nor do they feel that the harm endured can be easily repaired, especially considering that the state’s efforts to repair have been hindered by controversies related to truth and justice. Furthermore, the study outlines the symbolic effects of Chile’s policies associated with truth and repair, which entail processes of inclusion and exclusion, thus demonstrating the unforeseen outcomes of Transitional Justice mechanisms carried out through bureaucratic means. The findings of this research shed light on the interplay between local agencies and the broader Transitional Justice framework, emphasizing the importance of including victims’ voices in pursuing contextually relevant Transitional Justice processes.}},
author = {{Ojaghi, Cloe}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{To Repair the Dispair? Survivors of Human Rights Violations’ Experiences and Perceptions of Chile’s Transitional Justice Process}},
year = {{2023}},
}