Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation
The IHJR seeks to dispel public myths about historic legacies
in societies divided by ethnic conflict
Loading...The IHJR has taken important strides forward in developing the field of historical justice and reconciliation. The IHJR can proudly count as a key accomplishment its own transformation from being a “project” of the Salzburg Global Seminar to an independent institute in The Hague in October 2008. It is now recognized not only in The Netherlands but internationally as a center undertaking issues of historical justice and reconciliation. Our annual report of 2009, which can be downloaded here, reflects the developments of the IHJR during its first full year of independence.
The CHDR is an outcome of the IHJR Project in the Former Yugoslavia.
The IHJR works in partnership with the Salzburg Global Seminar.
IHJR News
TV Première of the IHJR co-produced Documentary “Myth Factories”
The documentary entitled Fabrika mitova (“Myth Factories”) will be broadcasted on Radio Television Vojvodina (RTV) in Serbia through three episodes on May 14, 21, and 28 at 21.00. The film centers on political myths that played a significant role in the public conscience from World War I until the period of socialist Yugoslavia. The script for the film was produced following the IHJR methodology of a shared narrative, and was written by historians and scholars from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia who are participants in the joint IHJR-CHDR project. The IHJR has supported the production of a documentary film as part of the project “Facing the Past, Searching for the Future” in former Yugoslavia.
Fabrika mitova was promoted through a press conference on May 5th in Novi Sad, Serbia where a presentation was made by the IHJR’s local partners including Darko Gavrilovic, director of the CHDR, and representatives of City Focus and RTV. To view a short trailer (no English subtitles), please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeyBlBHPVwk.
Essays on History of the South Caucasian Countries (A Multi-perspective View of History)
One of IHJR’s partners for its Armenia-Turkey Cultural Heritage project, The Analytical Center on Globalization and Regional Cooperation (AGCRC) has just published a book entitled: “Essays on History of the South Caucasian Countries (A Multi-perspective View of History).” You can find more information on the book through the following link.
Richard Goldstone receives Stockholm Human Rights Award
The first Stockholm Human Rights Award was presented to Richard Goldstone on December 3, 2009 for his outstanding career devoted to the promotion of the rule of law and human rights, first in his home country South Africa and during the last fifteen years in various highly prestigious international fora. The award is a joint initiative of the International Bar Association, the International Legal Assistance Consortium and the Swedish Bar Association and will be given annually to a person or an institution with outstanding contributions to the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Judge Goldstone is the Chairman of the Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation.
IHJR and Euroclio co-host workshop with students from Kosovo, Serbia and The Netherlands
On October 13th, the IHJR’s Program Coordinator Shoshana Iten along with Euroclio’s Executive Director Joke van der Leeuw-Roord and Project Manager Blandine Smilansky held a workshop together with a group of IKV Pax Christi students from Kosovo, Serbia and The Netherlands. The students, aged 18-22, are participants in a network called ‘Our Future’, an exchange project that seeks to advance dialogue between young people from Kosovo and Serbia and spread knowledge about European integration.
Former Yugoslavia team meetings related to “Facing the Past, Searching for the Future” September 13-19, 2009
Opatija, Croatia and Belgrade, Serbia
Team meetings related to “Facing the Past, Searching for the Future” brought together 40 scholars in two separate meetings. The purpose of the meeting was to share and discuss individual articles related to the topics below, as well as to begin to write the shared narratives. A journal based on the articles, including English abstracts, will be published soon.
The teams meeting in Opatija, Croatia included:
- Collaboration and Resistance in Yugoslavia during World War II: Myths and Legacies
- Political Mythmaking and Nation-building in Former Yugoslavia and its Successor States
The teams meeting in Belgrade, Serbia included:
- “Mapping of National and Ethnic Identities in ex Yugoslavia’’
- “Josip Broz Tito and National Question in Yugoslavia”
Case Study of Haifa August 16-21, 2009 in Hamburg
The meeting related to the Middle East project: Case Study of Haifa was held August 16-21 at the Hamburg Institute of Social Research in Hamburg. Continuing with the work begun earlier this year in Salzburg, mixed teams of Palestinian and Israeli scholars with expertise on Haifa worked to discuss, research, and write shared narratives under the topics identified earlier this year. The meeting was convened by Elazar Barkan from the IHJR and hosted by the Hamburg Institute for Social Research.
Former Yugoslavia Project meeting June 10-13, 2009 in Budapest
A meeting was convened in Budapest at Hotel Mercure Metropole June 10-13, 2009 bringing together 20 scholars from the six teams comprising “Facing the Past, Searching the Future.” Scholars from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia were present to discuss the current state of the project. Abstracts from participants of the first four teams were presented by the team leaders, and issues related to content and process were discussed. Two newly created teams had the opportunity to meet and discuss their focus, structure and methodology, and share this with the other teams. One of the new teams will research and write shared narratives under the title of “Myths Factories: Yugoslavia and Former Yugoslav Territories 1945 – 1999.” The other new team will be on “Serbs and Albanians- Albanians and Serbs, the experience of one century.” The meeting was the first time in history Albanian and Serbian scholars met to discuss key points in 20th century history without political influence. A report of the meeting is available here.
Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter Initiative (UJEI) meeting June 7-10, 2009 in Salzburg
A meeting in Salzburg was convened June 7-10, bringing together 20 eminent scholars from North America, Israel, Ukraine and elsewhere with expertise on the development of Ukrainian-Jewish relations over time. The IHJR is working in cooperation with the UJEI, a privately organized multinational initiative whose goal is to deepen scholarly and broader public understanding of the complexity, breadth and diversity of Ukrainian Jewish relations over the centuries. The purpose of this meeting was to deepen the understanding of the relationship between Ukrainians and Jews on territories that now constitute modern Ukraine, and the lands of resettlement. In addition, the meeting sought to contextualize the centuries of co-existence and interaction – with inclusion of other ethnic groups, under successive political regimes and in different regions – in the social, economic, political and cultural spheres, as well as taking into account ethnic tension and periods of violence. Furthermore, embedded stereotypes were explored by clarifying their origins, and asking what may be considered documented historical fact? and what is myth? In order to provide both an overview and a detailed histories of various sensitive aspects of the relationship.
IHJR Celebrates Official Inauguration at the Peace Palace, The Hague, May 26, 2009
On Tuesday, May 26, 2009, the Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation (IHJR) celebrated its official inauguration in The Hague, the Netherlands. The inaugural ceremony was convened in the Great Hall of Justice, in the Peace Palace before an audience which included diplomats, judges, government officials, scholars and representatives of the civil society.
The opening address was held by H.E. Hisashi Owada, President of the International Court of Justice and IHJR Advisory Board member, who underscored the importance of addressing unresolved historical legacies as a vital element in achieving sustained peace in former conflict regions around the world.
Justice Richard Goldstone, Chairman of the IHJR, also provided framing remarks, reminding the audience about the distortions in historical discourse and its murderous consequences noting the tragedy of the Holocaust in the Second World War and the genocide in Rwanda.
The speech of H.E. Hisashi Owada is available here.
Professor Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, a former Dutch minister, presided over the event. H.E. Pieter Feith, EU Special Representative in Kosovo, H.E. Claudette Antoine Werleigh (Haïti), Secretary General of Pax Christi, and H.E. Allan Wagner, Ambassador of Peru to The Netherlands offered their testimonies and challenges on coming to terms with historical injustices within the context of their current or past responsibilities.
The IHJR, which was founded in 2004 as a project of the Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria, was also honored by the presence of H.E. Ed Kronenbourg, Secretary General of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and H.E. Jozias van Aartsen, Mayor of The Hague and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, who both spoke of the importance of historical justice in reconciliation processes and welcomed the IHJR as a member of the Hague-based institutions devoted to advancing peace, justice and reconciliation around the world.
The event concluded with presentations on IHJR projects in Kenya, Former Yugoslavia and the Middle East that were introduced by IHJR co-founder Dr. Timothy Ryback and IHJR Co-Director Catherine Cissé van den Muijsenbergh. Prof. Elazar Barkan contextualized the IHJR in the framework of international relations, noting the right to redress, and in particular the role of history in shaping national identity, as a means to supplement existing judicial mechanisms.
H.E. Hisashi Owada, President
