State Crime Criminology and Resistance: The Cases of Argentina, Kenya and Germany (Cancelled)

• In Event: Transgressive Studies for the Age of Discontent

Abstract

A consistent research on victims´ ability to confront state crime and deal with its aftermath has not yet been developed. To fill this gap, this paper proposes to explore other theoretical perspectives including sociology, political science, anthropology and, particularly, social movements’ studies to overcome the resistance, contestation or victims’ participation by means of a victim-driven approach that addresses a victims’ leadership strategy. To develop this proposal, the research will dig into three different cases involving state crimes that altogether represent the three possible constellations of transitional justice processes (post-dictatorial Argentina, post-war Germany and post-conflict Kenya). The study will explore how the victims´ involvement took place in each case during and in the aftermath of state crimes, under the understanding that there was victims´ leadership in Argentina, victims´ dependence in Kenya and limited participation in Germany. The research will also study how the transitional justice process evolved in these contexts and why the different levels of victims´ involvement lead to different outcomes in terms of transitional justice indicators (truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-repetition).

Author

• Valeria Vegh Weis, Freie Universitat Berlin