Transitional Justice and Legacies of State Violence

Lisa White is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Lincoln. Dr. White's interests include state violence, imprisonment and human rights.

• 1. Introduction 2. The History of State Violence in Northern Ireland 3. Defining Experiences of State Violence 4. Revealing as Healing 5. The Masculinity of ‘Making Public’ 6. Former Detainees’ Narratives as Propaganda 7. Discourse, Denial and Dehumanisation 8. Seeking Accountability for State Violence 9. The Problems and Possibilities of Talking About Violence.

‘What does torture and brutality feel like to those at the receiving end? What are the factors which lead victims to narrate their experience afterwards or to keep silent? In what ways does masculinity restrict or fashion the ways in which narration occurs? What is the link between storytelling and propaganda? Lisa White's findings from her interviews with republican male prisoners in Northern Ireland provide us with fascinating, complex and informative answers to those questions. This book will be of great value to anyone interested in how people seek to come to terms with the legacy of political violence and conflict.’ - Bill Rolston, Emeritus Professor, University of Ulster, UK‘Through a tenacious reading of the stories of men detainees during the Northern Ireland "Troubles", the author upsets conventional preoccupations with truth claiming (with all that this implies for exclusion and privileging hierarchies of victimhood). By contrast, this book shows how and why "truth-sharing" should be the basis for communicative action and political healing. This book is essential reading for all students of conflict studies, transitional justice and victimisation.’ - Mary Corcoran, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Keele University, UK