2 - Theorising Socioeconomic Justice for Post-war Societies

Summary

This chapter theorises socioeconomic justice in the context of post-war and transitional societies. It draws on the work of Nancy Fraser and socio-legal scholars studying justice and human rights as a social practice in order to: first, define socioeoconomic justice as the redress to a form of violence that is rooted in the political economy of conflict, and whose remedy requires redistribution; second, to conceptualise justice as a practice where struggles over both the meaning of justice and the forms of participation to the justice process inevitably occur. Socioeconomic justice is also seen as having a particular temporal dimension, which is discussed with reference to Bosnia's post-war and post-socialist condition. Lastly, the chapter defines the international intervention as discussed in this book, focusing on justice issues and economic reforms.